The Things We'll Never Say
by Angelxd14
Summary: Lily&James hated each other with an unrealistic passion,until feelings change on both ends.Jealousy takes its toll on them,until a tradgedy brings them closer.Love triangles,pranks,lust and temptation.Raunchy in the beginning,angsty later on! R/R!
1. Prologue: The Beginning of the Rivalry

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Harry Potter, they all belong to J.K. Rowling. However, I do own the characters of Diana Renton, Nicole Portman, and Sarah Ferguson.  
  
Author's Note: at first this story starts out cute with the nauseatingly traditional beginning of the love hate Lily and James relationship. Then it jumps to sixth year because I say so! There will be eventual sex and raunchiness in the future, and I make James and Sirius into male sluts. I have to amuse myself don't I? But, there is a plot. I cant take the plotless stories, and this isn't one of them. The first 2 chaps are a simple prologue; chap 3 is where it starts. Enjoy and do not hesitate to suggest.  
  
*In the early 70's, on a platform in a station just like every other, a mother and daughter exchanged a goodbye as her little girl was about to start her real life, as a witch, in the only magical boarding school they had ever heard of. Hogwarts. It wasn't the most attractive of names, and they had never actually seen it, but the girl was brave. She was ready to leave, even though she hadn't hit puberty. She was told she was beautiful, and as she got older it would become more defined. She had her mother's hair, and her father's eyes. She had a flower as a name, like her sister. But she would bloom later on, unlike Petunia, her sister, who would not.  
  
"It's ok mum, you can let go now." Lily Evans gently stated to her mother, who was hugging her so tightly that Lily couldn't breathe. She thought she heard her mother sniffling for her departure. She felt worried for her daughter, but somehow she knew she would be fine.  
  
"Just one more second honey." Her mother said. She got up and wiped away the tears.  
  
"You don't have to worry, Mum, I'll be fine." She said reassuringly.  
  
"I know, I know. It's just that this is all so new, and, well, strange. I just don't want to see my baby off into a strange world. I am proud of you though honey. I always knew you would be different." With that Lily's sister, Petunia coughed, to make her presence known. She had a pointed expression of annoyance on her face. She assumed they had forgotten she was there.  
  
"Well, of course you are unique too Petunia, but in your own way." Mrs. Evans then dismissed her oldest daughter once again. She dismissed her. Although Petunia hated Lily, now, she envied her too. Her mother and father never thought of her in that way. They expected her to fail, and she knew it. "Now if only we knew how to get to that Platform. What was it? 9 ¾? Well, how are we ever going to find that?"  
  
"Maybe we should ask?" Lily said.  
  
"What a brilliant idea, smarty." Petunia said, so Lily could hear.  
  
Just then Lily, her mother, and Petunia saw another little girl walking with her parents. She had an owl with her, and a broom. It was an odd sight for the three of them, and Petunia looked disgusted, but also sad. What an oddly exciting sight seeing a bright, exotic owl and a broom. She, and Lily alike wondered what it could possibly be for.  
  
"Let's ask them over there." Mrs. Evans said. She saw the three stop between Platforms 9 and 10. One of them, a blonde haired, attractive man, seemed to walk right through the wall without anyone noticing. Lily and her mother approached, dumbfounded. Petunia remained in her place.  
  
"Hello." Said the woman. "Can we help? Are you going to Hogwarts?" she said, but not loudly.  
  
"Yes!" Said Lily, enthusiastically, before she remembered her manners. "Can you show me, well, how to get onto the Platform? That man-how did he-- "  
  
"Yes, my husband. Well, of course dear. It's really very easy. You just have to walk strait at the wall. It takes you right onto Platform 9 ¾. My daughter is in her first year as well. I'm Alison Renton."  
  
"Julia Evans. I'm Lily's mother. Oh, this is Lily, my daughter. I have to say thank goodness we ran into you today, or else we'd have never found our way here. Professor Dumbledore explained some, but these little technicalities--"  
  
"Oh, no trouble at all. I take it you aren't wizards then." Alison Renton said. She drew her daughter, who was behind her, closer to her.  
  
"Oh you've got that right. We had no idea what this was all about until we went to Diagon Alley. Oh, and was that a trip to remember." She said, throwing her head back and putting her hand on her chest.  
  
"Well that's the place to go then. Yes, our ways are a bit comical. My husband still laughs at some of them." Alison said. "We were thrilled when Diana got her letter. But, we knew she would. Hogwarts is really the best school for our craft. And, it is the closest."  
  
Just then a slightly shy little girl with wavy dark, brown hair and almost black eyes came out behind her mother. She was a little nervous, but didn't really show it. Her shoulders were back and her posture was strait. Her mother's overbearing presence towards strangers confused her.  
  
"Hello." She said and held out her hand. "Diana Renton." She said, in a matter she thought her mother would answer in.  
  
"Lily Evans." She said. " Pleased to meet you."  
  
"Would you like to run through together?" Diana asked, picking up her broom, which was tucked under her arm.  
  
"Oh, sure." Lily exclaimed. "Bye Mum, I'll miss you and dad so much. Bye Penny! I love you!"  
  
"Don't write!" Petunia yelled, and her mother shot her a horrified look.  
  
"Bye darling." Julia said, and continued to talk to Alison.  
  
"Bye Mum!" Diana said, looking back at her, blowing her a kiss.  
  
The two girls held hands and ran through the brick wall. Suddenly they were on the other side of the Platform. There were scores of children there, all eager and excited. They still had their hands clutched tightly around their luggage. Just then Diana's father appeared. He had brought the first batch of Diana's luggage up for her.  
  
"Well hello, Chéri." He said to his daughter, who smiled when she saw him. His dark eyes and strikingly blonde and wavy hair blew in the subtle wind. Then he saw Lily, and smiled at her too. "I'm Mark Renton. I believe the little witch that you are with is my daughter."  
  
"Lily Evans. It's nice to meet you sir." She said, politely.  
  
"Likewise. Do you want me to show you girls to the train and help you find a seat?"  
  
"No, Dad, that won't be necessary. I think we have been on a train before." Diana said, a little embarrassed. "I think we can manage."  
  
"Very well. Have fun darling; I'm going to miss you!" He gave his daughter a huge hug. "Don't get into trouble now." He said, before walking back through the wall. "It was lovely to meet you Lily!" Then he disappeared.  
  
"Sorry about him. He's so protective of me." She said, her cheeks reddening. "Don't really know why."  
  
"Oh, don't worry my dad's the same way. So tell me, are all of your family wizards?"  
  
"No, actually, my dad's a Muggle. I am what you would call half and half. But, I've been called worse." She said, laughing a bit.  
  
"A muggle? What's a muggle?" Lily asked, wondering if the girl had chosen the right words.  
  
"Oh, it's a non-magic person." She said. "Sorry, should have known better."  
  
"How'd they meet? A witch's brew?" Lily chuckled.  
  
"No." Diana laughed too. "My mum met my dad in London while she was doing an assignment for the Ministry of Magic. He was quite taken back at first, but now he loves it. The whole culture fascinates him. The first sign of magic I had scared him to death"  
  
"Wow, my dad is still recovering." They both laughed. "And my sister, well, she thinks I'm a freak now."  
  
"A freak? Well you're not a freak I can assure you." She said. "And I can tell you this: you are going to meet people a hell of a lot weirder than me."  
  
"Thanks Diana." She said, with a hint of sarcasm.  
  
"Sure." She replied. "Well we had better find a compartment, they all look pretty full."  
  
"There's an empty one over there." Lily pointed out. They went in and sat down. As soon as they got comfortable they heard a bunch of loud voices coming down the hall of the train.  
  
"Oh my God, did you see his face?!" One of them said.  
  
"I think he was about to cry! It was fantastic!" Said another.  
  
"I can't wait to see him get sorted like that!" Said a third.  
  
"Perfect! Absolutely perfect!" Said the first voice.  
  
"Hold on we had better find a compartment." Said the third voice.  
  
"What the bloody-" Diana started.  
  
The three boys approached Diana and Lily's compartment and looked in. A handsome, black haired boy spoke first.  
  
"Well, well, well, if my eyes deceive me I believe I have found the two most beautiful girls on this whole train. My name, beauties, is Black. Sirius Black." The other two boys snickered. He walked over to Diana and put his arm around her shoulder, despite her moving away. "And what is your name, bright angel?" He asked her.  
  
She couldn't tell whether or not he was kidding. "I don't believe you've earned it yet. Sirius, was it?" Diana replied. "Sounds a bit like a dog's name, and I don't like dogs." Sirius looked puzzled. This approached had worked with all the other girls. The second boy decided to come and save him.  
  
"Well, ladies, my friend seems to have forgotten his manners, although I can't blame him. He knows not how to treat a lady. I on the other hand.." He then walked over to Lily. "Hello. My name is James Potter." He held out his hand. She didn't take it.  
  
"Well James, do you find that this approach usually works, or let me guess, you've never tried it before?" Lily spat. She was not crazy about his demeanor and wanted to annoy him.  
  
"And what approach would that be?" James asked.  
  
"The kind where you set yourself up to be the hero, hoping that the hopeless girl will fall deeply and madly in love with you. I am sorry to say that that sort of cocky approach does not work, at least not on me."  
  
"Well, don't we have ourselves a clever little witch? I will have you know that my approach ALWAYS works! Right Remus?" He looked over to the last boy, who was leaning against the compartment door with a sly smile across his face.  
  
"Yea, whatever you say James." He answered. He found this all incredibly trivial.  
  
"My guess is that, James, your ego is, if it is even possible, is bigger, and more messy than that head of yours." Lily said.  
  
"How dare you! Do you even know who I am?" James answered, in a rather cocky way.  
  
"I don't care who you are! Now if you will please get out of our compartment! And bring Casanova here with you!" she said, referring to Sirius. Diana found that incredibly amusing.  
  
With those words James took out his wand. He said a few words and in an instant Lily's appearance was completely different. She had green skin, and a huge mole on the side of her face.  
  
"Now that is what a wicked witch like you SHOULD look like!" He yelled.  
  
They all broke out into a fit of laughter. Even Diana thought it was funny. Then she straitened up and pointed her wand at them.  
  
"Now that's enough!" Diana cried. "Leave now!"  
  
"We have no where to go, everywhere else is completely full!" Remus replied.  
  
"If you think for one minute that I am going to let this SCUM sit in my compartment, you are completely wrong. Look at what he did to me!" Lily cried.  
  
"Hey! I am NOT scum!" James said.  
  
"Well you did a horrible job trying to convince me otherwise!" Lily spat back at him.  
  
"Well maybe if you weren't so rude and obnoxious!"  
  
"I'M obnoxious?! You can't be serious?!"  
  
"No that would be me." Sirius exclaimed, rather inarticulately.  
  
"SHUT UP!" Everyone else said in unison.  
  
"Listen Potter, I will throw you off the train if I have to. I will tell you right now that if you don't fix this, the first chance I get I will curse you until you are unrecognizable!"  
  
"Is that a threat?"  
  
"It's what ever you want it to be Potter! Just fix it!"  
  
"NO!! PERSONALLY, I THINK IT SUITES YOU NICELY!"  
  
"For heavens sake I'll fix it!" Remus said. He then said a few words and Lily's face was back to normal.  
  
"Thank you! I'm sorry, what was your name?" Lily asked  
  
"Remus Lupin."  
  
"Right, well thank you Remus."  
  
"Your Welcome.ummmm. Miss."  
  
"Alright. Now that we all look like ourselves you can stay. But, you have to be civil with each other. Now apologize." Diana said.  
  
"I will not." Lily said  
  
"Do it...NOW!" Diana yelled and James and Lily quickly exchanged two feeble sorrys without looking at each other.  
  
"There. Now I want everyone to sit and be quiet! Is that clear?"  
  
"Who declared YOU leader of the train?" Sirius said.  
  
"Do you want to start with me Black?" Diana replied loosing her patience.  
  
"No, not really, ummm, what ARE your names anyway? This is really frustrating not knowing who I am talking too."  
  
"Diana Renton."  
  
"Lily Evans."  
  
"Ahhh, the Virgin huntress and the flower of death...interesting." Sirius said, rubbing his chin.  
  
"You're a weird one, aren't you?" Diana asked.  
  
"Whatever. Make what you want out of our names Sirius but please stop talking." Lily said.  
  
They all sat down on opposite sides of the compartment, staring at the window but most of all, not each other. Ten minutes passed of complete silence when there was a knock at the door. It slid open to reveal a petite girl with honey blonde hair and hazel eyes. Remus almost fell over at the sight of her.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry I didn't know here was anyone else in here. I couldn't here anything from outside. I'm sorry I'll leave."  
  
"No! I mean, you don't have to miss, there is plenty of room here." Remus stuttered. James and Sirius looked at each other, and snickered.  
  
"Oh, ok thanks! I'm Nicole by the way, Nicole Portman." She held out her hand.  
  
"Remus Lupin."  
  
"Lily Evans, hi!"  
  
"James Potter."  
  
"Diana Renton."  
  
"Sirius Black."  
  
"Well hello everybody." Nicole replied. She took a seat next to Lily. To stop the deafening silence, Lily spoke.  
  
"So Nicole, where are you from?"  
  
"Oh, I'm from Bristol. It was quite a drive to get here. I'm new to the school."  
  
"That's ok Nicole so are we." Sirius told her. "We're all first years."  
  
"How did you know we were first years?" Diana asked.  
  
"You came onto the train already in your robes, only first years do that. Hey, don't worry we did that too."  
  
"Oh, I wasn't worried Black." Diana said, rolling her eyes. "So Nicole, do you come from a wizard family?"  
  
"Um, no I don't. I am the only one."  
  
"Really." Said Lily, excited. "Me too! We are what they call muggle born."  
  
"Muggle?"  
  
"Non magic people." Diana answered.  
  
"You're muggle born?" James asked Lily.  
  
"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?" James shrugged and rolled his eyes.  
  
"You see Lily, Potter is what the wizarding world calls 'pure blood'. He can probably trace his ancestry back to the time of the founders. Oh, and his father happens to be the Minister of Magic."  
  
"Well she knows her facts." Sirius said.  
  
"Don't even, Black. I know all about you too." She said, smirking.  
  
"Oh is that it." Lily chuckled. "I thought this 'I'm above everyone' attitude originated somewhere, now I know where. He's a cocky little rich boy."  
  
"You want to say that again Evans?"  
  
"No I'm fine thank you."  
  
Just then a little blonde boy came rushing past their compartment. He ran back and stopped in front of them.  
  
"Where did you guys go I've been looking for you everywhere!"  
  
"Sorry Peter we thought you were right behind us. You disappeared." James replied. "This is Evans, Renton, and Portman." James said rather quickly. They all said hi in unison.  
  
"Hi. Sorry, Malfoy caught me. He was threatening me, he punched me in the stomach."  
  
"I'm surprised that's all he did Peter." Sirius said.  
  
"Yeah. With Malfoy, that was lucky." James said.  
  
"Who's Malfoy?" asked Nicole.  
  
"Oh you don't want to mess with him. He is awful. He's another pureblood but the worst kind. His family has been in the dark arts for years, although they won't admit it. His name is Lucius. Stay away from him. He's blonde and slimy, and, well, evil." Remus said.  
  
"Wow." Lily said. "Way to liven up the crowd Remus."  
  
A reluctant chuckle escaped James and Sirius. Diana and Nicole also let out a nervous laugh. Just then the Hogwarts Express came to a stop. This startled all the passengers in that particular compartment. They all got up and gathered their luggage.  
  
"C'mon Nicole, you can come with us." Diana said. "Gentleman." She said as the three girls walked passed the boys in a huff.  
  
"Pistols aren't they?" Sirius exclaimed.  
  
"Oh yeah, and the worst kind too." Said James. "C'mon, let's go."  
  
They followed the girls out. They were half startled by the sight of a giant man.  
  
"Firs' years this way!"  
  
All seven followed him. They were escorted into the boats. Lily was dumbfounded. She was staring at the monstrosity that was to be her new school.  
  
"Is that...I mean. Is that Hogwarts?"  
  
"Yep." Diana replied. "Look at it, it's huge!"  
  
"Oh don't make me even more nervous than I already am." Lily said nervously. "All I have to say is that Potter better stay far away from me!"  
  
"Oh I doubt that. Him and Black are inseparable. That is obvious. I am sure they will try hard to make their presence known to us. I think they like to be bothersome gits."  
  
"Oh I can't stand them and I've only known them a couple of hours." Lily laughed.  
  
"Well, Remus isn't that bad." Nicole said shyly. "And Peter seemed nice enough."  
  
" Yea I guess. But, I WILL get him back for what Potter did to me though, that is for sure. I'll learn and he'll be sorry he ever messed with Lily Evans!"  
  
"Calm down girl, you have all year to think of a prank." Diana said.  
  
The boats docked and the three eager young girls hopped off.  
  
"You know these next seven years are supposed to be the best years of our lives." Diana said.  
  
"Well, with those four I don't know how that is possible." Lily said. All three girls laughed. They joined hands and made their way to the entrance.  
  
"Well, it's now or never right girls? We are all in this together." Nicole said.  
  
"Friends?" Lily said.  
  
"Of course." Diana said. "Best friends."  
  
*(That's chapter one, I hope you liked it! Please read and review!) 


	2. Chapter 1: Insults and Grudges

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Harry Potter, they all belong to J.K Rowling. I do own Diana Renton, Nicole Portman, and Sarah Ferguson, among other characters I haven't thought of yet.  
  
Author's note: this is still a bit of a prologue, and it jumped to sixth year in this chapter. Thank you sooo much to all who reviewed, and I am sorry it took so long. Enjoy and let me know what you think!  
  
~*~**~*~  
  
Five years later...September 1, 1973  
  
"Boys! Get down here now! You are going to be late for the train!" A tall statuesque black haired woman yelled as she impatiently waited for her son and his friends to come down stairs.  
  
"We're coming mum!" her son shouted back to her. One after the other, three boys, almost men, casually walked down the stairs. Each one was more handsome than the other. The first two had black hair, while the one who followed them had light brown. It was James, Sirius and Remus, respectively.  
  
"Let's go, James. If we don't leave now, the Platform will close on us and I will have to tell your father that I had to personally bring you there myself. He will not be happy." She said, waving her finger at him.  
  
"Yes mum, we know." James said, irritated. She gave him the same speech every year, and after five years he was a little annoyed by it.  
  
"C'mon, Mrs. Potter, you can't blame us for being a little late. After all we have to make an appearance. It wouldn't be the same train ride without it." Sirius said, lost in his thoughts of previous years, and pranks they had pulled on the underclassmen. Although this year, he was a bit nervous.  
  
"Sirius, I think you need to sort out your priorities." She said crossly.  
  
"I have priorities, getting to school on time just isn't one of them." He smugly added. She rolled her eyes at him.  
  
"Is Peter meeting you there?" she said, changing the subject and averting her eyes to her son.  
  
"Yea." James answered. "His parents wouldn't let him stay over so he's saving us a compartment on the train."  
  
"Oh good. Maybe he can teach you three a little something about punctuality."  
  
"That's ok Mum, we know."  
  
"Well I don't understand why you have to be late. Don't you want to be there for the sorting?" she wondered as she gathered their luggage and put it next to the door.  
  
"No!" all three said, as if the word sorting ceremony equaled death, or at the very least incredible humiliation.  
  
"Well why not?" she asked, dumbfounded with her arms folded. She was shocked and amused by their reaction. They simply groaned. They didn't want to tell her.  
  
"Its just that..well, we don't like the sorting ceremony, that's all." Remus feebly responded.  
  
She shrugged her shoulders at them and shook her head. "Alright, never mind. Now, take your luggage and let's be off, I'll start the car." She quickly walked outside and in a few seconds the boys heard the keys turn and the grumbling of the engine. Sirius tuned to Remus.  
  
" 'We just don't like the sorting ceremony?' Nice one Remus." He sarcastically remarked.  
  
"Well I didn't hear you come up with anything better Sirius." James added, defending him. They didn't want James' mother to know the real reason. They didn't want her to know that all this delaying was because they were trying to avoid someone. Actually it was more like three people, three sixth year girls to be exact.  
  
"Ugh, this is pathetic!" Remus yelled at them.  
  
"Will you keep your voice down!" James whispered.  
  
"What's pathetic?" Mrs. Potter said as she walked in the door.  
  
"Uh.." They had to think of something, and quickly. "The fact that we are being so lazy and disrespectful Mrs. Potter. I was just so distracted by your loveliness that I forgot what was to be done. They look to me for guidance you know. We are truly sorry, can you forgive us?" Sirius innocently remarked. Mrs. Potter wasn't fooled, but flattered just the same. She had become accustomed to this kind of behavior.  
  
"Mmm hmm. Will you all please get into the car now." She said, chuckling. She walked outside and got in the driver's seat. The boys sighed and followed her, with reluctant looks on their faces. Remus got in right away while James held Sirius back.  
  
"Do me a favor, and never flirt with my mother again, I feel sick."  
  
"Well I can't help it, but the Black charm always works my friend, always. At least she's not asking questions." James grunted at his remark and got in the car behind Remus. Sirius sat in the front seat.  
  
They began to drive to London. It was a quick drive. The Potters owned a home on the outskirts of the city. The main purpose for this was so James could get to the station easily, and he wouldn't have to wake up so early. They moved there when he started his first year at Hogwarts. It was also easier for Mr. Potter to get to the Ministry. They had an office in London, after all. They had previously lived in Wales, and it was troublesome for him to apparate there every day. After sometime people would start to wonder.  
  
Mid way through the drive a thought struck Mrs. Potter. She smiled to herself and began to chuckle.  
  
"What?" James responded as she looked at him from the rearview mirror.  
  
"I know why you don't want to be on time." She paused, hoping a hint would flash across her son's face. "It's those girls isn't it?" she casually remarked.  
  
Sirius, who was not really paying attention suddenly jolted at the mention of them. He tried to play it cool. He cleared his throat before remarking "what girls?"  
  
"The blonde, the brunette and the redhead. We always seem to run into them every year, come to think of it. Do you boys have crushes on them or something?"  
  
"Mum! Gross, I can't believe you said that!"  
  
"Well, if you're trying to avoid them.."  
  
"You don't understand Mrs. Potter." Sirius explained. "They're demons, alright. They are minions of the devil." He said, crossing his arms.  
  
"They are not." Remus accidentally spat out. He never minded them; they had always been sweet to him. "Well, sometimes." He said, trying to save himself.  
  
"Don't defend those Dark Witches, Remus, remember they are out to get us." James mentioned, and was sorry that he did.  
  
"Oh, so you're afraid of them, I completely understand now." She laughed.  
  
"Are you kidding? Absolutely not! We are just at war that's all." James answered. She still couldn't stop laughing.  
  
"War? For how long?" there was a pause.  
  
"Five years." Sirius grumbled. Mrs. Potter exploded with laughter. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was too funny to be true.  
  
She was still laughing when they were dropped off in front of King's Cross Station. They unloaded their luggage and began to walk towards the Platform. After she calmed down, James kissed his mother goodbye and gave her a big hug. Then she hugged Sirius and Remus. Their parents were at their homes and after all these years they had become second sons to her.  
  
"Be good." She warned them as she got back into her car. "Especially you." She pointed to Sirius. Then she winked at him. She gave a warm wave goodbye and began to drive away. "Oh, James, your father sends his love darling, and hopes you have a great year!" she shouted as she drove away from the station. When they were done waving, Sirius slapped James upside the head.  
  
"What did you do that for?!" he yelled, annoyed.  
  
"Ow! What?" James yelled back, frustrated.  
  
"Why did you tell her about THEM?"  
  
"Well I didn't want her to think we liked them or anything, not like that."  
  
"This is so embarrassing do you know that. This is pathetic!"  
  
"I told you." Remus cut in. "I don't know why we avoid them in the first place."  
  
"Well, you avoid them because you are in love with Nicole, and we avoid them because they want us dead." James exclaimed.  
  
"I am not."  
  
"Oh don't deny it, we both see how you look at her." Sirius added.  
  
"I don't look at her any different than you two look at Diana and Lily."  
  
"That's disgusting. Evans and Renton? Are you insane?" James whined.  
  
"Personally I think they are way too immature to even be seen with us in public." Sirius remarked.  
  
"That's because when we are in public one of you ends up on the floor." Remus pointed out. Sirius gave him the evil eye and they started walking towards Platform 9 ¾.  
  
"They're just girls." James mentioned when they were in front, about to walk through.  
  
"Exactly, ugly girls." Sirius said, trying to convince himself.  
  
"Don't be so immature." Remus said, annoyed with both of them. Then he walked through unnoticed. James followed with Sirius right behind him.  
  
"Fine I'll admit that Nicole is cute, but please, Evans and Renton are too evil to ever be considered human, let alone pretty girls." Sirius said, gathering his things under his arm.  
  
"I second that." James said, nodding.  
  
"You're just still upset by what they did to you two the last day of school." Remus said.  
  
"Don't confuse us with them, Remus, we don't hold grudges." James said as he started walking toward the train. With that remark, Remus started laughing.  
  
"Yeah, ok James, whatever. Remember last year, around Christmas. She got you that time. You screwed Evans up so bad that January. You do remember pinning her to the floor right?"  
  
"Yea, well she deserved it. And she had absolutely no right to well, you know."  
  
"It was her and Renton that did it. Those bitches." Sirius grunted. "They turned us into. oh I cant even say it."  
  
"Girls?" Remus mentioned.  
  
"Shut up!" James hissed, and put his finger over his mouth.  
  
"Will you to shut up, I'm trying to find Peter." Sirius whined. It was then that he saw them. Three sixth year girls, the redhead the blonde, and the brunette. He was speechless. He was waving his hand back and hit James in the shoulder.  
  
"What?" he asked, annoyed. Then he saw too. Remus' gaze followed. They simply stared.  
  
It was 1973, and the mini skirt was clearly in. They had clearly done a lot of growing up over the summer, and had the legs to prove it. They were absolutely beautiful. Lily and Diana were petite. Lily had long, pin strait, dark red hair, and large, piercing green eyes. They could be seen from a mile away. Diana's eyes were practically black, and her hair was long, brown and wavy. Nicole had sea blue eyes, and gorgeous long honey blonde hair. They were obviously getting stared at; it was hard to miss them. They even sparked the attention of a certain Slytherin named Malfoy. They were laughing as they walked. Diana noticed first that Sirius and the other two were staring at them. She nudged Lily.  
  
"Well, well, well..." Diana said, smirking. The three then came out of their trance, and looked her square in the eyes. "If it isn't Black, Potter, and Lupin. I see that you've returned to your former selves, what a pity." She said, folding her arms.  
  
"Renton." Sirius replied. "I see that your slutty ways haven't changed. You look like a regular whore in this getup, I'm proud of you. Have you started taking galleons yet, or have you been sticking to your usual 10 sickles an hour, or better yet, 1 shag for 1 A."  
  
"The only slut here Black is you!" she shot back. "You look pale, have the symptoms started yet, you always were too cheap to buy any protection." Lily and Nicole laughed.  
  
"What's so funny Evans? " James casually asked her. Her expression drastically changed, and she remembered her total and absolute hate for him.  
  
"Oh nothing Potter. I was just remembering how charming you looked in that little red number I last saw you in. It really accentuated your features. I must say that I do miss it." She slyly smiled back at him.  
  
"You can borrow it sometime. You look like your more of a man to carry it than I do."  
  
"I am glad you finally realize the extent of your masculinity. I knew it'd come 'round eventually."  
  
"Yes, well you are the perfect judge on masculinity, Evans." He inched up closer to her face. "Talk to Snape lately? I hear he's been looking for you."  
  
"Yes. If I remember correctly, he and Malfoy were trying to get your attention on the last day of school, something about a threesome, I can't remember." Sirius said.  
  
"Don't confuse your own personal experiences with mine, Black. And what's the matter Potter, are you jealous of him?"  
  
"Oh don't make me laugh Evans." He flipped his head back and imitated a fake laugh.  
  
"I mean jealous that a man doesn't have to use his, how do I put this, luxuries, to get a girl interested in him. He just uses generosity and all around niceness, qualities that you can only dream of."  
  
"Yes, he is my ultimate role model. I can only dream of being clingy, greasy and annoying."  
  
"Well from the stories I've heard, you're not far off." She patted him on the shoulder, and smiled, smugly.  
  
"Don't smile. It makes your face look distorted." He removed her hand from his shoulder. "I will have you know that whoever told you that, and I think I know, is a nutcase, which is why I'm sure you two get along nicely. It had nothing to do with me."  
  
"Oh of course not. God forbid. You have been the one to hold all those relationships together. That is, until you break up with them. How long was your last one? A week? Or was it two?"  
  
"Trying to be witty Evans, very nice. Not quite working though is it? Nice try though."  
  
"Well, at least I know what witty sounds like Potter. Unlike your sorry excuses for comebacks. Trying to change the subject doesn't exactly qualify as a response."  
  
"Shut up Evans."  
  
"You know, that hurts me Potter. It really does, especially coming from a royal prick like you."  
  
"I try."  
  
"You know, guys, I think the train is leaving." Remus pointed out, trying not to get in the middle of everything. He was accustomed to keeping his mouth shut during a Potter/Evans conversation. Apparently, he was the only one to hear the horn blow.  
  
"He's right. It has been lovely chatting with you ladies, but we have a compartment reserved so we must be off." Sirius exclaimed, glaring at Diana especially.  
  
"Yes, and Evans, I wouldn't hang around in the sun too long, we wouldn't you to turn to dust now." James added, as the two began to walk away.  
  
"Bye, um, talk to you three later." Remus said, as he started to follow them. A few seconds later he turned his head and looked at Nicole. She had remained silent throughout the whole thing. He was going to smile when another student, a second year, accidentally ran into him. She noticed. He turned red and hurried up to the others.  
  
The three just stood there for a moment. It didn't take long for them to get angry, and it never failed at the beginning of the year.  
  
"That went well." Nicole finally spoke up. She received glares from Diana and Lily.  
  
"Oh yea, really well. I feel nauseous but I don't think I have the strength to throw up." Diana said.  
  
"That's disgusting." Lily said.  
  
"Well that's how they make me feel. Black especially, calling me a whore how dare he!"  
  
"Well, you know your not a whore so what does it matter what he thinks?" Nicole asked as she began to walk toward the train.  
  
"I don't care what he thinks, that hypocrite, he just makes me so angry I want to kill him." Diana followed next to Lily.  
  
"Please, Potter isn't much better." Lily said.  
  
"Yea, what was that whole thing about Snape and Malfoy?" Nicole asked.  
  
"I have no idea, they like to create their own scenarios, it makes them feel like men."  
  
"It kind of sounded like you were saying you were interested in Snape though Lil. What was that about?" Diana asked. They entered the train and began carousing for compartments. There were none in the front so they made their way to the back.  
  
"Oh, I was just screwing with him. Snape? Oh god no. I mean he is nice to me and everything and he is a great guy, but no. I just wanted to make him think I was interested in someone who was the complete opposite of him to make him feel small. I think it worked."  
  
"Probably, I bet he is thinking about it right now." Nicole said.  
  
"I don't think so. He and Black are probably just scanning the fresh meat on the train." Diana mentioned. Lily laughed.  
  
"Those perverts. I can't believe Remus is friends with them. They are total opposites." Lily said.  
  
"I know. I happen to really like him, he has always been nice to me." Diana said.  
  
"That's because he never set your hair on fire in Potions, remember?" Nicole said.  
  
"Oh, don't even get me started. But I'll say one thing: last June sure woke them up."  
  
"Indeed. Oh, that was priceless." Lily said, laughing.  
  
"Yes, it was pretty funny." Nicole said, chuckling.  
  
"I swear, I will never forget the site of Potter and Black in pumps and short skirts as long as I live." Lily said.  
  
"That was a great time." Diana said. "And they certainly deserved it."  
  
"I don't know." Nicole said.  
  
"Oh come on Nicky, you were laughing I saw you." Lily said, still laughing.  
  
"Yes but."  
  
"I know what this is about." Diana chimed in.  
  
"Huh? This is about nothing." Nicole answered.  
  
"Oh yes it is. I saw Remus trying to smile at you." She gasped. "You fancy him don't you?"  
  
"I do not!" She shot back, trying to defend herself.  
  
"Aww yes you do." Lily said. "It's ok, I like him, even if he does hang out with filth like Black and Potter."  
  
"What about Pettigrew?" Nicole asked.  
  
"Oh yea." Lily said. "You know I sometimes forget about Peter. He just doesn't seem like their type if you know what I mean. He is certainly nice and sweet but."  
  
"I know what you mean." Diana said. "I just hope they don't rub off on him. it's not like he has something to fall back on."  
  
"Oh, don't be mean." Nicole said. "Oh, and by the way, I don't know if you noticed, but those boys are looking.."  
  
"Don't even say it." Lily said. "If it is not said, then it is not true."  
  
"But you have to admit that they are kind of." Nicole paused.  
  
"Nicole I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you." Diana said.  
  
"Alright, alright." She said.  
  
They finally reached the end of the train. There were absolutely no empty compartments.  
  
"Well this is fantastic." Diana said, throwing her arms in the air with frustration. " And we were here early."  
  
"I know. This is so annoying." Lily said. "It's all their fault."  
  
"Why don't we just go in this one." Nicole pointed out. She threw open the door. Diana and Lily crowded around it.  
  
"Damn, Portman, don't you knock?" It was Sirius.  
  
"How did you four get a compartment?" Lily angrily said.  
  
"We told you Evans." James casually replied. " We have reserved seating, courtesy of our good friend Peter here." He pointed to Peter and he waved.  
  
"Hey girls." He said, weakly. He was a little intimidated by them and did not want to get in the way.  
  
"Hi Peter." They said in unison.  
  
"Well you four are the reason we don't have a compartment." Diana said, annoyed.  
  
"Hey, we never asked you to come and talk to us, even if we are irresistible." Sirius jokingly said. He wanted to annoy her. He loved it.  
  
"Don't overrate yourselves. If I'm not mistaken, you were the ones staring with your mouths open in our direction." This was true, so Sirius had nothing to say but "Whatever Renton" before turning his head.  
  
"That's what I thought. So we have no choice but to share."  
  
"What?!" Lily asked. "You're kidding right?"  
  
"Nope. If we have to share a compartment, there is no way that they are getting off comfortable and stress free. We are sitting here."  
  
"What makes you think we are going to let you sit here?" Sirius said.  
  
"What are you going to do Black, sick the trolley lady on us?" Lily asked.  
  
"Why don't you go sit with your boyfriend Evans, I'm sure he's waiting."  
  
"That's enough." Remus said. " Can we at least get to school before you start killing each other."  
  
"That's right." Nicole said, and Remus began to turn red again. "If we're going to share, we should be quiet."  
  
"Fine." Diana said, reluctantly.  
  
"Fine." Lily agreed.  
  
"Boys?" Nicole asked.  
  
"Fine!" They said.  
  
They all crowded into the compartment. It was stuffy and uncomfortable, and they didn't speak the entire ride there. You could cut the tension with a knife. After about twelve minutes, Peter spoke up.  
  
"Well, I think this year is going to be great, huh guys?" he enthusiastically said.  
  
They just glared at him. They were each thinking the same thing. This year was going to be different indeed, but how different, none of them could have ever known.  
  
Soon afterwards, seven teenagers saw Hogwarts approaching in the distance. Each of them smiled.  
  
This was the year that life happened, love happened, and war happened.  
  
It was a time that they would never forget, but during that silent ride from London to Hogwarts, they had no way of knowing it.  
  
(Well that's chapter two. Thank you to all who reviewed and those who read but didn't. It is still sort of the prologue, the real story will happen next chapter. You guys are the best! Please review! I appreciate it! ~Angelxd14) 


	3. The Sick Twisted Preverted Plot

Disclaimer- I don't own anything from Harry Potter. Well, except the plot, most of it anyway, and Diana Renton, Nicole Portman, and everyone else I created but was too tired to type.  
  
(A/N I changed the title because it sucked and I hated it. sorry, deal with it. anyway on with the show, more useless arguments and pranks ahead! Next chapter will have shit actually happeneing) *~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The Hogwarts Express came to a screeching halt. Seven young teenagers proceeded to exit the compartment, all of them trying to be the first one out.  
  
"Evans, move!" James commanded, and he childishly tried to shimmy his way through the door. He eventually got out, much to her disappointment. She followed him, however and waited for Diana and Nicole at the front of the train. James waited for Remus, Peter and Sirius.  
  
"So Potter.." She slyly commented." Are you excited for the sorting?"  
  
The sorting ceremony was the time, every year, that the three girls pulled pranks on the so-called original pranksters. Diana first came up with the idea second year, after Sirius had turned her trunk into a pebble and James crushed it with his foot. She was so red with anger during that ceremony that she plotted to embarrass them all in front of the whole school. Lily however was the one who came up with the idea. She suggested that they make them fell their wrath by letting fleas loose in their pants. A simple inching spell would produce the same effect. She had read it in a book that summer. Well, needless to say, they were screaming and hopping up and down so much that they were made fun of for months. Thus, a true rivalry was born. The three girls looked forward to it every year.  
  
"Always." He replied, as if he didn't have a care in the world.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't be so smug about it if I were you." She said. She was excited. They had been plotting it since the very last day of school.  
  
"Grow up Evans." He said. " I couldn't care less." He replied, while folding his arms.  
  
"I just hope that, this year, you remembered to wear you clean underwear. Although I am going to miss the Mickey Mouse boxers tremendously." James turned beat red. Last year they had made their pants disappear at the announcing of the prefects. Black and Potter stood up wearing nothing but their boxers. Even McGonagal found that one funny.  
  
"Please, I knew you wanted me. In fact, I bet I'm making you hot right now." He smugly said. Sex jokes always made him feel more at ease round her.  
  
"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? A real man doesn't have to prove he's hot by having his own little entourage of mindless twits tell him so."  
  
"They are not mindless. They just see me for the epitome of masculinity I really am."  
  
"Oh, and how, pray tell, do you know that?" she said, rolling her eyes at him.  
  
"Well lets just say that they have made their feelings perfectly clear..."  
  
"What by screaming your name in bed? That's not exactly a valid reason now is it? And it doesn't exactly require neurons. And you know Potter, being a male slut isn't exactly something to be particularly proud of."  
  
"Well I tend to disagree with that." Sirius spat as he approached the front of the train with Remus and Peter.  
  
"Well, you would, now wouldn't you Black?" Diana spoke out behind him with her arms folded. She and Nicole took their places next to Lily and scowled.  
  
"Shut up Renton. Oh, and your skirt dear. I couldn't help but notice your cute little pink thong under it. It's sticking out you know." Sirius said, as he reached behind her and snapped it.  
  
"Oh you'll pay for that one Black! What in the hell makes you think I would ever let you touch me? Back the fuck away, or suffer the consequences." She said, angry as all hell and clutching her wand.  
  
"Oh, touchy aren't we. I bet you wanted me to see it, not that I would have been the first." he said.  
  
"Dream on asshole." She casually remarked as she pushed her way off the train and onto the pavement. Lily and Nicole followed, each scowling at the boys. Nicole, however, smiled at Remus shyly. Everyone noticed, and respectfully rolled their eyes in disgust.  
  
The boys stared at the girls as they were walking away. As Sirius walked out of the train, he turned to his friends. Peter, Remus and James were still staring.  
  
"So, what do you think we should do to the bitches this year?" he casually said.  
  
"I say we make them pay for what they did to us last year. In fact, why wait. Lets get them back for all of the sorting ceremonies they foiled for us." James smirked.  
  
"Now?" Remus asked, confused. "That's in like half an hour. You'll never be able to come up with something that good in this short amount of time."  
  
"Oh, I've already got it." James smirked.  
  
"Oh do you now? Do tell." Sirius said while rubbing his hands together.  
  
"Well Evans made a little comment to me earlier that sparked an idea in my head. One that will make her wish she never crossed paths with James Potter." James said.  
  
"A little dramatic don't' you think Prongs?" Remus said.  
  
"Shut up and let me finish. This year, the Marauders will take over the sorting ceremony."  
  
"Oh you leave me out of this." Peter said. He always was a tad afraid of those girls.  
  
"Don't worry about it Peter we can do it on our own. Unless..." Sirius said looking at Remus.  
  
"What?" Remus answered, annoyed.  
  
"Are you going to participate or are you just going to sit there and twiddle your thumbs the whole time?" James said.  
  
"We don't even know what the prank is yet." He said. They glared at him. "But I guess I'll do it, whatever."  
  
"So finish what you were saying there Prongs. What exactly did Evans say to you before?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Well, she said that a mindless twit who screams my name in bed doesn't make me a man or some shit like that."  
  
"Ugh, I hope to god she was exaggerating." Remus said. "It's not exactly a pleasant sound to hear when you sleep next door." He said, unfortunately remembering the fifth year sex phase that Sirius and James went through. He thought it just wasn't right.  
  
"Oh shut up Moony. You're just upset it wasn't you." Sirius joked.  
  
"Well not everyone can be like you Padfoot. Some men like nice girls who wont give it up on the first date." Remus answered.  
  
"Hey those girls were nice. It was after us that they became the sex kittens they are now. We have taught them well." James said with pride.  
  
"You guys, this conversation is making me a little uncomfortable." Peter chimed in.  
  
"Don't' worry Wormtail, old boy. We'll find a nice, pretty girl to shag you." Sirius joked.  
  
"Your disgusting." Remus said. "Anyway, how is that grounds for a prank. She was merely stating the obvious."  
  
"Well I was just wondering what it might sound like for Renton and Evans to scream our names. That is, Sirius and me. They hate us the most so it's only fitting." James said.  
  
"Well how are you going to do that? To make them do it you would need the Imperious Curse. You don't even know how to do that and you would go to Azkaban for the rest of your pitiful lives if you did." Remus reminded them as they were walking up the pathway to school. The girls were still a far length ahead of them.  
  
"No, no cursing, just a little charm. In fact they don't even have to scream out our names. We can save that for the real thing. It would make revenge sweeter." James explained.  
  
"You know." Peter started. "Don't you guys think you are taking this grudge thing a bit too far. Can you guys just be friends? You are actually thinking about taking advantage of them now. They would never even get that close to you."  
  
"He's right. Evans and Renton would probably rather get sodomized by a Hippogriff and a banshee at the same time then ever come within five feet of you two with the intention of doing anything remotely sexual." Remus reminded them.  
  
"What Renton is a slut, I think she would if I got her drunk enough." Sirius said laughing.  
  
"I thought you said she was ugly." Remus said.  
  
"Well that was before I saw that pretty, pink little thong. Don't get me wrong I still hate her with a passion, but now she's at least hot." Sirius answered.  
  
"Do you ever think about anything else?" Peter asked.  
  
"Rarely." James and Sirius said at the same time.  
  
"So anyway, back to what I was saying." James said. "We'll put a bit of a charm on them. One that will make them feel incredibly good, in fact, a little too good."  
  
"You're sick!" Remus yelled. He knew what he meant, and it disgusted him because Remus was such a good hearted gentlemen.  
  
"Are you saying what I think you're saying Prongs?" Sirius said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.  
  
"Oh yeah." James smirked.  
  
"I don't get it." Peter said, confused. James and Sirius just looked at each other and grinned, their dirty minds just swimming with ideas.  
  
"Vibrating panties." They said, together because great minds think alike. Remus just rolled his eyes at his loser, sex crazed friends and continued to walk with them. Peter blushed uncontrollably while James and Sirius couldn't wait to get inside the school. They were practically skipping (yes, they skip occasionally) and couldn't wipe the stupid grin off their faces.  
  
(And there's where I leave you. REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! I should probably change the rating because as you can see I have a dirty mind that has finally come out and there will be more blatant sex jokes in the future. YES, SEX WILL BE THE RECURRING THEME, I HAVE DECIDED. Now the girls have gotten themselves into quite a mess haven't they, he he. And yes I decided to make James and Sirius manwhores, its just more fun for me that way. Thanks to all the lovely people who actually got up off their asses and reviewed. I ma sorry to day that those who expected a nice sweet story will NOT get it, I am sorry. More bitch slapping, manwhoring, slutty ways ahead, with a little bit of the dark side to give the plot a twist. And don't forget to review me dammit! ~Your humble author, Angelxd14 


	4. Knickers In A Twist

Disclaimer: if you don't get it by now, then you all must really want me to get sued, and that's just wrong. Ok I OWN NOTHING!!!!!!!  
  
Lily looked over her shoulder to see the boys catching up. James and Sirius were ahead while Remus and Peter were lagging behind.  
  
"Are those losers skipping?" she asked, nudging Nicole. Diana turned around as well, and started laughing.  
  
"Fairy boys." She said. "Well, I'm glad they finally realized their true feelings for each other. Its sweet." She was still laughing.  
  
"You're fucking gross." Nicole said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"It is not." Lily said. "It is a beautiful thing. And we're just playing around. If any of them are going to be gay it'd be Remus."  
  
"Hey! He is NOT gay!" she yelled.  
  
"C'mon. All the signs point to it. The monthly disappearances he thinks we don't notice. He's meeting a guy. Oh, not to mention he doesn't seem nearly as interested in shagging girls as the other two whores." Diana said.  
  
"He's nice! You two are just so deprived that you assume that every nice guy, who is sweet and cute is secretly into men. Well it's not true!" Nicole yelled.  
  
"Wow, Nic, calm the hell down, would you. I was merely stating a theory. If you're so sure he's not, then prove it." Lily said.  
  
"How am I going to do that?" Nicole asked.  
  
"Think about it sweety." Lily said.  
  
"No! I'm not going to do that!" she screamed.  
  
"Oh yea, why?" Diana asked, slightly offended.  
  
"Because, I'm not like...well.."  
  
"Us?" Lily said with an attitude.  
  
"I didn't mean that." Nicole said.  
  
"Yea, ok, whatever. Do what you want with the faggot, ok? But don't ask us for advice if you're just going to be a bitch about it." Diana spat.  
  
"Besides, you know I'm a virgin so I don't even know why you would even insinuate that." Lily said.  
  
"Sorry. Hey look there's Katrina, lets go say hi." Nicole said. Lily and Diana just shrugged and went after Nicole.  
  
About 20 feel away, two Slytherins were eying the gorgeous Gryffindors like two hungry tigers.  
  
"Is it just me," One of them said. "Or did those girls get seriously hot over the summer?"  
  
"Oh yea. And their skirts are so short. It's like they want us to stare." The other said.  
  
"Vixens. And look at Renton. She has the most perfect breasts I think I have ever seen."  
  
"Look at Lily, could that ass be any tighter?"  
  
"Oh Severus old boy. Are you going to try to hit that this year?"  
  
"Please. She wants nothing to do with me, Lucius."  
  
"Well I will tell you one thing. Renton is mine, I'll make sure of that." He sniggered.  
  
"Yea ok." Severus said, rolling his eyes.  
  
All of the students gathered into the great hall for the sorting ceremony. A bunch of eager first years gathered in the front while Lily and the girls, plus the boys gathered in the back. The girls were slightly in front. They all had smug expressions on their faces, each planning something else.  
  
"So when do you want to do it?" Diana eagerly asked Lily.  
  
"Soon, lets just wait until the names get called first." Lily answered. Diana nodded.  
  
"Ok, let's do this now." Sirius said, impatiently, from the back of the crowd.  
  
"No wait. It has to be perfect." James said.  
  
"Ok, are you ready?" Lily said some minutes later, smiling at Diana.  
  
"Oh yea." She said.  
  
"Wands at the ready." James said finally.  
  
"I'm not doing it." Remus suddenly said.  
  
"What?" Sirius said. "You promised."  
  
"Well forget it, I don't want detention and it's just too embarrassing."  
  
"Uh, fine." James said rolling his eyes. "Ready, one..."  
  
"Two.." Lily said, pointing her wand in back of her.  
  
"Three.. Sirius said.  
  
"Hold on." Diana said, her expression changing.  
  
"What?" Lily asked annoyed.  
  
"Don't you feel that?" Diana asked.  
  
"Feel what?" Lily said, and then she paused. "Oh....what the hell is that?"  
  
"Are you two alright?" Nicole said, with a perplexed expression on her face.  
  
"That's strange. It feels like it's almost..." Lily started.  
  
"Vibrating." Diana said, still confused.  
  
Nicole laughed. "Are you serious?"  
  
"Shut up." Lily said. She tried crossing her legs but that seemed to only intensify it. "Shit." She said.  
  
"Oh my god." Diana said, grabbing Lily's shoulder. After about two minutes they were practically sweating.  
  
"How do you feel?" Nicole asked, concerned.  
  
"Well...good, surprisingly, annoyingly good." Lily said, biting her lip.  
  
"I don't know how much longer I can take this." Diana said, squinting.  
  
Then Nicole looked behind them to see Sirius and James trying extremely hard to hold in their laughter. Remus was just shaking his head. People were beginning to stare at the girls in amusement. They weren't exactly being discreet. Then the teachers noticed them squirming and McGonagal raised a frustrated brow at them. They began breathing in and out hard as people began to laugh. The first years were incredibly confused.  
  
Then Lily noticed Nicole looking past them and she swiftly turned her head. She pinched Diana, legs still crossed, and she turned around as well. There stood James and Sirius, laughing like idiots. It infuriated them and they knew it was them. When they noticed the girls looking at them they simply looked at each other and took a bow in front of the whole school. They got some applause and laughter.  
  
Suddenly Diana couldn't hold it in anymore, neither could Lily.  
  
"Black! Potter!" They screamed.  
  
"I'll kill you!" Lily said to James and began to run to him. Not wanting to be trampled he began to run, not out of fear, but sport.  
  
"You're dead Black!" Diana yelled and did the same. The boys were still hysterical as they were running. They changed direction and headed out into the hall. They ran into the boys bathroom and slammed the door behind them.  
  
"Brilliant!" Sirius said, slightly out of breath. They both high fived each other.  
  
"What did I tell you?" James began. "I am a genius." He said, congratulating himself.  
  
"That you are. Oh my god, did you see their faces, they practically came right there." Sirius said, hysterical.  
  
"Yes. And they are furious that it was because of us. Ah revenge, it is really too sweet."  
  
"Hey assholes!" they heard as four angry fists pounded the door.  
  
"You two are so fucking dead!" Lily screamed. They just stood there laughing. They had locked the door and they ere too angry to unlock it.  
  
Soon they heard the girls being pulled away and asked to return to the common rooms. Everyone apparently forgot about the feast and ordered everyone to his or her rooms.  
  
"They secretly love us for it, you know." Sirius. "I bet that's the best they've ever had." He sniggered.  
  
"Naturally. They should be thanking us." James said.  
  
"Oh they will...later." Sirius smirked as he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. They each lit one as they toasted each other on their achievement, and couldn't wait to get to the common room to see what they would do.  
  
"Brilliant, " James said, "Bloody brilliant." They spent the next half an hour laughing their asses off some more.  
  
*that's it! next chapter will be in the common room, I haven't decided yet what it is going to be about, oh well. Don't forget to Review! And thanks to those who did! You guys are awesome!* 


	5. Sweet Revenge&Over the Top Characters

Disclaimer: I refuse to say it again..that is all. Thank you all for the reviws, you guys are tooo awesome! I am a very happy little writer! Sorry for the smoking, but I just wanted it to add to their character, even if it is a disgusting habit. Sorry : ) ~*~*~*~*~**~*~**~*~*~**~*~  
  
Diana and Lily burst into the common room in such a rage that students actually flew to their dormitories so they wouldn't get in the way of their catastrophic tempers. They paid no attention to the students around them, however, they were too busy being infuriated to care about anyone else. Remus and Nicole were sitting on opposite couches and exchanged one look only, before rolling their eyes at their common misfortune.  
  
Lily and Diana's dorm was the same as previous years. They shared a room because they were both prefects. They threw open the door and stomped in the room without saying a word. When Diana safely closed the door Lily unleashed the redheaded temper within her.  
  
"I CAN'T BELIEVE THEM!!!THOSE PERVERTS!" She screamed. Diana joined her, her temper being that of the Hispanic, Italian pistol she was.  
  
"I'M GOING TO KILL THEM!!! THEY ARE AS GOOD AS DEAD!!" Diana bellowed.  
  
"Dead!? I'm going to castrate them! Ergggggg, I can't believe they thought they were going to get away with this! Oh they'll pay, believe me!" Lily screamed.  
  
"Oh I am humiliated!!! In front of the whole school! And Dumbledore! Ohhhhh, god it's so embarrassing. Oh wait until they get up here. They are going to get seriously fucked up, I'm telling you." She schemed as she plopped down on the bed.  
  
"I can't believe they sunk this low, even for them. You know, I really thought I hated Potter but now, I just wish I had a long, sharp knife so I could cut off the genitals that gave him that brilliant idea." Lily said folding her arms.  
  
"Please. They fucked the wrong bitches." Diana said, still fuming.  
  
"Oh they only wish they did. This is so not over."  
  
"Not in the least." She bluntly stated.  
  
Then they heard more applause coming from the common room, and two pompous cries of triumph. Sirius and James had just entered the common room. Lily and Diana jumped up immediately. Then Nicole burst through the door, knowing that they were furious.  
  
"Now listen, calm down. Please, please, please, don't start anything now please..." she pleaded.  
  
"Nicole, I love you, but move!" Lily said, her face turning as red as her hair (An: I know this is totally overused but I couldn't resist : )  
  
"No, you'll get into so much trouble, really..." Nicole started.  
  
"Oh, Fuck this!" Diana yelled as she pushed Nicole out of the way. Lily followed, mouthing an "I'm sorry" to Nicole before leaving the room. Nicole just put her hands on her hips and sighed. Remus came up next to her.  
  
"God, it never ends!" she frustratingly said to him. He turned a little red.  
  
"Yea, it's pathetic." He said, running a nervous hand through his hair. They both felt a little awkward so they kind of just both smiled weakly and turned their heads.  
  
Diana and Lily were walking side by side, quickly and purposefully searching for their victims. They glanced over the railing to find that they weren't in the common room. Then they made their way to their dorms. Sirius and James shared a dorm. They had also been prefects.  
  
They rushed to the entrance to find it locked. Of course, Lily thought.  
  
"Alohomora!" Diana sternly stated as if she took the words right out of Lily's mouth. Then she kicked the door open to add a little drama. She liked being more dramatic than necessary.  
  
James and Sirius were there, sitting on their respective beds, smoking and drinking beer they had smuggled from home, continually congratulating each other.  
  
"YOU!" They both screamed. They jumped up, amused and startled at the same time. They were expecting this.  
  
"Prepare to die!" Diana screamed.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, hold on there Renton. A bit dramatic don't you think?" Sirius stated.  
  
"No, I don't think so. Say goodbye to your balls boys!" she said, smirking. They just burst out laughing.  
  
"Shut up!" Lily screamed as she took out her wand. Then she shut the door. "You two have officially crossed the line." Then Diana pulled out her wand. The two boys just looked at each other. Before they could grab theirs Lily screamed.  
  
"Tarantallegra!" Lily screamed, initiating the duel. Well it was more than a duel really since there was four of them. Suddenly Sirius' legs began moving in all directions, tripping him. He fell to the floor while his legs went out of control.  
  
"Not laughing now, are you Black?" Diana smirked. He couldn't reach for his wand, so he was determined to stay that way until he was released. James actually started laughing, not really meaning too, since he did feel bad.  
  
"Think it's funny do you Potter, well you wished you never laughed soon. Rictusempra!" Lily yelled. Suddenly James flew to the other side of the room and started laughing harder, and he was clutching his stomach. Lily had used the tickling charm.  
  
Lily and Diana just looked at each other. They weren't satisfied.  
  
"This is childish." Diana said.  
  
"Second years could do better." Diana answered, knowingly. She shook her head and looked at the pitiful idiots on the floor.  
  
"I've got it." Lily said, smiling.  
  
"Well, what?"" Diana said, wide eyed and excited. Then Lily whispered something into Diana's ear. Her grin grew wider as she absorbed the details. James and Sirius just looked at them in horror.  
  
"What the hell are you going to do to us?" Sirius said, in between being thrashed about the room.  
  
"Nothing." Lily casually replied. "See you in the great hall." Then they both left. They had released the boys from their spells and they were left just sitting there on the floor, confused and somewhat disappointed.  
  
"That's it." James said.  
  
"That couldn't have been it." Sirius replied. They sat there, perplexed and annoyed until Remus came in.  
  
"What the bloody hell are you two doing on the floor? Will you come on; they've called us down for dinner." He said with an annoyed expression on his face.  
  
They got up and followed Remus out. They both had to admit that they were a little jittery, considering they had no idea what the girls would do to them, and they knew it would be bad.  
  
They came down to find the girls already seated and made sure to get a seat at the complete opposite of the table. They caught the girls several times looking at them, and they just quickly averted their eyes.  
  
"So when should we do it?" Diana asked.  
  
"Are you two kidding me?" Nicole said, rolling her eyes. "You can't do anything here, everyone's around."  
  
"Precisely. Everyone is still talking about us so we'll just have to distract them a bit." Lily said.  
  
"But those two haven't even gotten in trouble yet, and you're already planning their downfall?" Nicole asked.  
  
"Of course, and it's brilliant too. We'll show them precisely how perverted we can be as well. Isn't that right Lil?" Diana said.  
  
"Yep." Then they heard the sound of a glass clanging and they knew the announcements were about to start. Dumbledore stood up and everyone became silent.  
  
"First of all, due to the disruption earlier today, I would just like everyone to note that blatant immaturity will not be tolerated. It has gone far enough, and I will say that whoever was responsible, and that was made quite obvious, will be punished."  
  
There were snickers among the crowd and a few laughs and Sirius and James just smiled and waved at everyone. Then they caught Diana and Lily giving them evil stares.  
  
"Alright, alright, settle down everyone, settle down. Secondly I would like to announce that this year we will hold a ball to celebrate the beginning of the school year. It will be held on September 19, and will be for fifth years and up." Cheers and a few claps were heard from the crowd and everyone suddenly got excited, well, all except the first-fourth years.  
  
"Now, with that said, I would just like to wish you all luck with your schoolwork, be careful, and have a wonderful year. Thank you." Dumbledore sat down and the food magically appeared on the tables. The girls and the boys ate in silence while the boys chatted away about the upcoming Quidditch season. James was captain this year after all.  
  
"Ok, Di are you ready?" Lily eagerly asked.  
  
"Hell yes." She replied and put down her fork. They each grabbed their wands and subtly pointed it at Sirius and James. "After you."  
  
"Ok, Wingardium Leviosa." She whispered. Just then, James was lifted up in the air. He was a little startled and didn't really know what to make of it. Then, right after Diana muttered the same thing, Sirius joined him.  
  
They stopped 50 feet in the air. The whole school could see them. The professors sighed while some of the first years got up to look.  
  
"You know, Renton this is really childish!" Sirius screamed.  
  
"What could this possible accomplish?" James yelled down to them.  
  
"Oh we're not finished Potter!" Lily yelled up, it was pretty obvious that it was them.  
  
Lily and Diana held up their wands and shouted something in unison. It seemed to have no affect on their outward appearances. They were confused because they noticed nothing different.  
  
"Is that the best you could do?" James shouted.  
  
"I have the biggest wedgie right now." Sirius whispered to James. He nodded but thought that it was a little too much info for him. He however, had one too.  
  
"Accio shirts!" they shouted and suddenly their shirts flew off them in no time. They seemed to not really care. The girls caught them and threw them on the floor.  
  
Then they began summoning everything they were wearing, including shoes and socks.  
  
"You know, it's really quite chilly up here Evans!" James said, although he and Sirius were beginning to get a little nervous. They wondered how far the girls would go.  
  
Then, smirking once more, Lily and Diana shouted "Accio Pants!" and they were instantly removed. A roar of laughter erupted from the great hall. Even Nicole looked up and started giggling. Remus put his hand over his mouth and stared. He couldn't hold in his laughter either.  
  
It wasn't that they were in their underwear, which had been done.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, James Potter and Sirius Black, the REAL men of Hogwarts!" Lily shouted. The laughter only grew louder.  
  
Now, it was revealed to all that Sirius and James, the biggest players the school had ever seen, were fifty feet high, wearing nothing but bright pink thongs.  
  
"You know Black, I'm sensing some shrinkage, and you look a bit small up there!" Diana shouted.  
  
"Renton!!!!" he screamed. This definitely hurt his reputation.  
  
"Next time think twice about snapping my knickers you prick!" she yelled back.  
  
"You'll pay for this Evans!" James yelled.  
  
"Why don't you tell me something I haven't heard Potter!" Lily screamed.  
  
"Get us down!" he screamed.  
  
"I think you two look quite pretty up there if I do say so myself!" she shot back. "It's really becoming! I think I like it better than the dress!"  
  
"Enough!" they all heard a shout and suddenly the room became deafeningly quiet. It was McGonagal. "Now I am sick of this!" she said, outing her hands on her hips.  
  
"I am ashamed of both of you. I would never expect something this childish from you two. Your job is to set an example, not make a mockery of our rules! I want both of you in Professor Dumbledore's office immediately!" she shouted.  
  
"But professor." Lily began.  
  
"Silence Miss Evans, now go! And everyone else, back to your seats and finish your meals!"  
  
"Um, professor?"  
  
She looked up. "Oh right." She said, rolling her eyes. She muttered a spell and the boys came traveling down slowly, gripping their privates. They were in a fowl mood when they came down. McGonalgal threw them their clothes. "Now you two, the office, Now!"  
  
"Hey we were the victims!" James shouted.  
  
"Don't you shout at me, Mr. Potter. Did you really think you were going to get off this afternoon without any detention? Go! Now!"  
  
Sirius and James put their clothes back on right there and followed her into Dumbledore's office. They were pissed when they entered and even more when they saw Lily and Diana there, smirking. But they were baffled to find a very amused Albus Dumbledore, laughing uncontrollably in his armchair.  
  
(Ok, so they got them back, yippee! Next chapter: Detention! Ooo what fun! Let's just see what trouble they are going to get into, hmmm. And thanks for the reviews guys!!! You all rock! ) 


	6. Detention:Slytherin Common Room

Disclaimer: see previous chapters because I really don't give a shit. Sorry if this one sucks. It is longer and I didn't reread it, so deal with it and review to tell me how it was. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Dumbledore lifted up his head and tried desperately to retain his authority while looking at the not so smug Sirius Black and James Potter.  
  
The two boys just shot Diana and Lily angry glares while they were all forced to stand next to each other.  
  
"What am I going to do with you four?" he said, in between giggles. Finally, after a minute or two he calmed down and stood up. He cleared his throat but couldn't wipe the smile off his face. He took a deep breath, and then proceeded to scold them.  
  
"I am extremely shocked at the four of you. Well, actually I'm not, but I do think that you have gone too far. First of all, Black and Potter.." He just shook his head. "What you two have done today was completely uncalled for and if I may say so, incredibly depraved. Why, pray tell, would you want to humiliate these girls like that? They do not deserve such animal behavior being taken out on them. It was unnecessary and completely childish. I would think that after the five years we have tolerated this behavior that you would grow up. It has gone far enough."  
  
"Well, sir if I may speak for the both of us, I think that Evans and Renton deserved every second of it." James said.  
  
"We did not!" Lily shot back.  
  
"Be quiet Miss Evans and let me handle this." Dumbledore said. "They most certainly did not deserve this Mr. Potter, and it is not for you to decide that either. You will not get away with that without severe punishment. I do not want any of this happening again." He said, pointing a finger at them. They nodded and put their heads down. " You two will get detention for an entire month."  
  
"What?" Diana said. "That's it?" she was angry.  
  
"Mind your business Renton." Sirius spat. James and Sirius held the record for the most detentions ever at Hogwarts, with Sirius slightly ahead by 558, while James had 547.  
  
"Now, now Miss Renton. For your behavior and Miss Evans', you will also receive and entire months detention."  
  
"That's not fair! We were just paying them back. They deserved it!" Lily spat.  
  
"Miss Evans I will say this again that it is not your duty to decide the punishment of these young men. I know that what they did to you was unfair and embarrassing, but stripping them of their clothes and transfiguring their underwear into, um, different underwear is completely childish. I honestly expected better from you two. You are all sixteen and seventeen years old. You will not get off this scott free. What you all have done was completely over the top, even for you. If anything like this happens again, you WILL be expelled. Is that clear?" The girls slightly felt guilty, but still loved the prank just the same.  
  
"Sorry Professor." They said, not meaning it.  
  
"Now, now, don't apologize. I did find it rather amusing if I do say so myself. But at any rate, you two will not be serving detention together. The last thing I need right now is you four starting trouble, and you will not be with your friends."  
  
"Huh? Why not?" James asked.  
  
"I am splitting you up for your own good. Potter, you will be with Renton cleaning the common rooms..."  
  
"What?!" they both screamed. "No!" James yelled.  
  
"That will take hours!" Diana screeched.  
  
"...Of all four houses, without magic." He finished.  
  
"What? That's impossible. That will take at least.." James started.  
  
"A month?" Lily mockingly asked.  
  
"Now don't be smart Miss Evans. You and Black will be down in the kitchen, helping the house elves with the dishes every night for the rest of September."  
  
"Oh, professor, no, not with Black please?" Lily begged. "And anything but cleaning. It is seriously the two things I hate most in the world combined. I can't take it, not with all the exams and homework..."  
  
"Oh quit your complaining Evans." James snapped. "And since when do you hate Sirius more than me?"  
  
"I consider you two one thing, you two don't deserve separate spots, considering you share a brain."  
  
"I consider that a compliment." Sirius smugly said.  
  
"Oh yes, you are both God's gift to women after all." Diana said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Stop it, all of you. Now since dinner is over you all will start immediately. Potter and Renton, you will start with the Slytherin common room."  
  
"You can't be serious?" James said while Sirius began to smile. Then James pointed to him. "Say it and I kill you." (An: whew, another Serious/Sirius joke successfully avoided)  
  
"Professor you are asking for a death wish here." Diana began. "They'll eat us alive."  
  
"I will never say this again as long as I live but Renton is right. Everyone knows how much they hate us." James said.  
  
"Deal with it." Dumbledore said. "Now all of you go, you will find your cleaning supplies in the supplies closet on each floor of each common room. Oh, and you all must leave together. Black and Evans, the house elves are eagerly waiting your arrival. I hope you like to scrub."  
  
Each teenager shuffled themselves out of his office with a look of resentment towards their headmaster and absolute hatred for each other.  
  
"Oh and one more thing." Dumbledore began. They all turned around. "50 house points will be taken away from each of you for your serious lack of maturity and bad examples toward the underclassman."  
  
"50!" Sirius screamed. "That's 200 points overall!"  
  
"Yes, well I'm glad you can count Mr. Black. Now hurry up or I'll add on a week." He said, pointing a stern but caring finger at them. He had a deep affection for these students, and he figured that they would just earn the points back during the first Quidditch match anyway. "And shake hands!" he ordered. The girls flinched and the guys looked the other way as they quickly and feebly shook hands. "Now I want this to be a sign of truce, do you hear me?" they nodded and left his office with an angry, but calmer disposition.  
  
Diana and Lily were slightly ahead; they didn't split up just yet.  
  
"200 points." Lily muttered.  
  
"We didn't even have points to begin with." Diana answered, and glared angrily at Black, who was lagging behind.  
  
"Shut up Renton." He said absentmindedly.  
  
"Black. Be quiet, you are going to get us expelled." Lily sighed.  
  
"That was if we did anything else, we could still hate you." James snapped back.  
  
"Listen, I don't like this anymore than you do, but we should split up now." Diana said.  
  
"Fine." Sirius answered. "We're closer anyway, so I'll see you later Prongs?" Sirius said.  
  
"Yea. Renton, let's go." James said. Diana walked slightly in front of him while Lily did a good job of staying at least five feet away from Sirius.  
  
Diana and James walked in silence to the Slytherin common room in the dungeon. They made their way to the supply closet and opened the door. Mounds of dust flew at them and they started coughing profusely. Then they each grabbed a cleaning broom and some cloths to dust with. Then they made their way to the common room door. Despite their obvious hate towards one another they looked at each other and sighed before knocking. Dumbledore had not given them the password.  
  
None other than Lucius Malfoy opened the door. He leaned against it and folded his arms.  
  
"Well, well, well, what have we here? Punishment, no doubt, for your, ahem, antics this evening. My, my Renton, you have been a bad girl." He slyly commented.  
  
"Shut up Malfoy and stand aside. We want to get his over as quickly as possible." James said, obviously annoyed. And he was disgusted at the blatant attempt to flirt, especially now.  
  
"Well, I certainly don't want to be in your way." He started. Then he turned to the entire common room. "Everyone, the Gryffindor filth is here to make this place tidy. Now don't move on their benefit. They like to work around you." He shouted. The common room broke out into snickers and some laughter. Diana and James just glared at him. "Well don't just stand there, I'm not stopping you. Get to work." Lucius mockingly ordered.  
  
Diana and James had neither the strength nor the wit to talk back to him at that moment. They had already gotten punished, threatened with expulsion, and lost points that hadn't even been given yet.  
  
The Slytherin common room was, in their opinion, a nasty place. It's dark colors and eerie atmosphere gave it a sinister, almost evil aura about it. it was clad in greens and silvers. Every other inch of it was black. It was cold, since it was in the dungeon, and there were absolutely no windows, so it would look the same even during the brightest days.  
  
Diana started cleaning the couches in silence. They were all in tacky, leather, forest green. She was disgusted. She couldn't wipe the obvious expression off of her face either. James started sweeping around her, making sure to knock her with the broom every five minutes. She just showed her animosity by shaking out the dust in his face. He coughed while hitting her in the ankle. No Slytherin seemed to care. It was late and the day had been a long one.  
  
One by one each student began to leave and go to his or her dormitories. All who remained by 11:30 were Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape. There was also another person there, a girl. She was a fifth year, like the rest of them, only she wasn't like them. She was different, and her head was buried in a book.  
  
Lucius and Severus rejoiced in the fact that they were able to see James Potter cleaning up their mess like a servant. They snickered at him and laughed occasionally, but James was too tired and annoyed to care. They never bothered him, which annoyed them even more.  
  
"Well look at little Potter, the maid. You know, we have an apron for you. One with cute little daisies on it, if you're interested. You'd look so pretty." Lucius remarked, thinking it was incredibly witty. Severus of course, laughed. The girl on the opposite couch rolled her eyes at them. She never did find them funny. Diana noticed this while she was cleaning and raised an eyebrow at her, noticeably.  
  
When Diana finished the couches she looked around for something else to dust.  
  
"Oh Renton, you can do the bathrooms, I don't mind." James remarked, sarcastically. She eyeballed him with obvious malice and put her hands on her hips.  
  
" Anything to get away from you Potter. I thought I'd start with the Boys first. You all are the dirtiest pigs on the planet." She said as she walked into the bathroom. The girl on the couch smiled at her, much to her confusion, as she walked in. Lucius, in between insulting James, could not take his eyes off her. She was exotic and beautiful and oozed this certain sex appeal that he found scintillating. There was also the fact that she couldn't stand him, something he happened to find irresistible.  
  
"Well, as much I would love to continue chatting with you Potter, I must get my beauty rest. Have fun with the filth, you have so much in common." He said, almost absentmindedly. Severus joined him. he proceeded upstairs while he noticed Lucius lagging behind by the bathroom.  
  
"Will you c'mon." he said.  
  
"Well I have to wash up first don't I?" he innocently asked. Severus, who wasn't really thinking left Lucius down there. James was on the other side, lost in thoughts of his own while Diana continued cleaning, not hearing anything.  
  
Lucius walked into the bathroom to find Diana hovered over a sink, scrubbing it. She was still in high heels (they never did get to change into their uniforms), still in the skirt, and her hair was cascading wildly down her back. She wasn't' even paying attention to her surroundings. He just stood there, watching her.  
  
She glanced in the mirror only once and caught his image on the other side. She gasped in surprise and swiftly turned around. He retained his cool, and calm demeanor.  
  
"Well don't' stop on my account. It was really quite invigorating." He said calmly.  
  
"What the hell do you want?" she asked, her hand over her chest.  
  
"Nothing. I just enjoy watching you. You are fascinating to look at, did you know?"  
  
"Go away." She said, turning back around and resuming her work. At this rate she was never going to be finished.  
  
"Take today for instance. I couldn't take my eyes off you, well, neither could a lot of people."  
  
"Shut the fuck up, can't you see that I'm trying to work." She said, frustrated.  
  
He casually and slyly walked up to her, his arms still folded. She noticed and watched him do it through the mirror. Then he leaned against the first stall, about two feet away from her. He continued to stare.  
  
"Do you want a bloody picture, Malfoy?" she spat.  
  
"You're very sexy Renton." He simply said. Then she rolled her eyes and turned to face him.  
  
"What do you want? You want me to suck it right here?" she sarcastically spat. This only provoked him.  
  
"Oh, if only you were serious. But no, not tonight. I just came in here to tell you that I enjoy your presence, and that I look forward to seeing more of it, and more of you." He pauses; she just looks with her arms folded. "Well, goodnight Renton, and if you don't finish tonight, I would love to see you here tomorrow. Oh, and bring that lovely skirt." He said, walking out. She huffed and picked up the scrub brush. It was nearly midnight and the next day was the first day of classes.  
  
She began walking out when she saw James talking to the blonde. She overheard part of their conversation.  
  
"Narcissa, huh, that's quite a name." He said, kissing her hand. "You know I never thought a Slytherin could be as pretty as you." She, of course, blushed. Diana rolled her eyes in impatience and disgust. But this was certainly entertaining.  
  
"Thank you." She spoke at last, half giggling. "You know I normally don't act like this. I don't know what's come over me." She put one hand on her cheek.  
  
"Oh, it's alright. I get a little shy during this time of the night too." James said. Diana nearly gagged. "I don't know why I've never noticed you before, such a beauty should have never escaped my eyes, even if you are a Slytherin." God, Diana thought, now he's going to the bloody Slytherin sluts.  
  
"Oh I've been here." She said. "and I've always noticed you."  
  
"Well thank you. On the Quidditch field I expect." He said, leaning on his broom. Now he's bringing up his glory, Diana though. This could take awhile.  
  
"Yes, and other places. We have had potions together, in fact I think we still do."  
  
"Well that makes me happy. Now I have a reason to look forward to potions." He said, chuckling. She blushed again.  
  
"Excuse me." Diana said, while clearing her throat. "This is making me quite nauseous Potter, are you quite finished? We do have class tomorrow and Dumbledore said we have to leave together. I am not about to wait any longer for you to get in your last minute quicky for the night." She said in her usual attitude. James glared at her and then turned to Narcissa.  
  
"Terribly sorry my lovely but it appears that the troll here says I must go. Time does fly when one's having fun I suppose. Well I guess I will see you tomorrow. Don't go anywhere."  
  
"I won't" she coyly replied. James' expression changed once again as he took his place next to Diana and left. He flashed her that winning smile before the door closed on them. They quietly put the supplies away until tomorrow, and then proceeded to the Gryffindor common room.  
  
"Damn Potter, could you be any more disgustingly stereotypical? 'How could a beauty like yours have ever escaped my eyes?' You are nauseating." She said.  
  
"Oh please Renton. It was no different then you little chat with Malfoy in the bathroom. Gosh he was in there for a long time. Did you polish his wand good enough for him?" he smugly asked. She ignored him because she was tired and angry. She also felt that this immaturity was getting a little old so she felt she must stop it now.  
  
"Fuck you Potter." She said, as they went into the portrait. He added a simple, "you wish" before heading in the opposite direction. She walked briskly up to her room and shut the door. James did the same. What both of them noticed were when they entered they found their respective room mates were nowhere to be found.  
  
(Next chapter: Sirius and Lily's detention. And thanks for all the awesome reviews, I am too lazy to thank you all right now and it is 3:20 in the morning and I'm about to pass out. But I do love all of you equally but in a purely platonic sense. Don't get any ideas. Oh yea, REVIEW!) 


	7. The Kitchen:Black and Evans

Disclaimer: see previous chapters..I do apologize for the language. I will try to watch it more in the future. :): )  
  
**Lily and Sirius' detention...the same night  
  
Lily and Sirius walked down the steps to the kitchen in silence. The loud clank of their footsteps was the only sound that could be heard on the entire floor. They both turned an odd corner and Sirius stopped in front of a painting.  
  
"What are you doing?" Lily asked, the attitude never fading from her voice. "We have to go to the kitchen and you want to stand here and look at tacky art?"  
  
"I'm not an idiot Evans. This is how we get to the kitchen." Sirius said, pointing to the painting, as if it was obvious.  
  
"Well, I don't see a door, do you?" she condescendingly asked as she pretended to look around. "Nope, no door. Now lets go." She began walking. Then Sirius reached his hand out and touched the painting, tickling a pair. In an instant the painting opened to reveal a passageway. He went through it. When Lily noticed he wasn't behind her she turned around.  
  
"Black!" she said, frustrated. Then she saw he wasn't there. She was slightly confused and began to walk back toward the painting. Somehow there was an opening there and she went through it, assuming that Sirius had done the same. She found the entrance a bit small and slightly creepy in its appearance until she smelled food being cooked. As she drew nearer to the other side she saw Black's head. Filled somewhat with relief and annoyance she continued and when she reached the end she walked through.  
  
"Well there you are Evans." Black said nonchalantly. "I trust you found the 'door'?" he casually remarked, quite smugly. He was leaning next to the entrance waiting for her.  
  
"How did you know that was there?" she asked, folding her arms and leaning on the opposite wall.  
  
"Well how else do you think we get food? Do you honestly think we wait until dinner to eat? Hell no. We come down here late at night and stock up for a few days. They don't mind, and it's not like they're going to rat on us." He said, referring to the house elves, who were already busy preparing breakfast for the following morning.  
  
"Typical." Lily said. "So how do you guys get in?" she was slightly curious.  
  
"Why you just tickle the pear. But hey, I don't want to run into you brats during your binge stages. Stay out of our way, it's our entrance."  
  
"Ok, whatever. We're not pigs like you. We don't have to eat six times a day, thank you. We have a little more self control than that." She said. "But we have to start helping them or something, or we'll never get out of here." She said, sighing.  
  
"Well the less time I spend with you the better." He said. "Alright lads, what do you want us to do?" he asked the elves. They immediately stopped. One of them tugged on his trousers.  
  
"Sir? It is not custom for you to help us with our work. We like it. Such an honor it is, sir, for you and Miss to ask us. But we are well trained and do not want to leave it up to Wizards." The small, meek elf whispered. "It is just not fitting."  
  
"Well fitting or not, we have to. Dumbledore told us." Lily said, and they understood.  
  
"Headmaster?" the elf asked. "But why would he send such talented Wizards to help us Miss? Does he think us unfit?" he almost began to cry.  
  
"No, no. It's just that well, we got in trouble and he sent us to help you. We are only here to give you less work. It is to help you, not punish you." Lily said, feeling sorry for them.  
  
"Oh miss, he is a kind sir! We are honored to have you here!" he said, bowing. Lily and Sirius found this rather amusing, and actually smirked at each other.  
  
"Thank you." Sirius said. "We only hope that we can do you all justice."  
  
"Oh sir does not have to us justice. We will only work harder next to you."  
  
"Oh no, don't work at all, really. Sit down, take a load off." Lily said. All of the elves just looked at her in awe.  
  
"Such a saint Miss is." One yelled with joy. "Sit down? Why we have never sat down before. It is an honor, miss, an honor! But we still have to cook tomorrow's breakfast." Lily actually began to laugh.  
  
"Well you all can do what you wish, it's fine by me, saint or not. We'll do the dishes for you, is that alright? And it's Lily by the way." She asked.  
  
"We would not want Miss Lily to get her hands dirty. No they are too pretty and untarnished to do dishes."  
  
"They are fine, I assure you. Now where is it? Back there?" she asked, pointing to the back room of the kitchen.  
  
"Yes miss Lily. Are you sure you do not want us to do it?"  
  
"Yes, really." Sirius said, stressing his last word. "We can handle it. It's our job."  
  
"Oh thank you, thank you, kind Witch and Wizard. We are eternally in you debt!" they shouted.  
  
"Ok. If we need any help we'll let you know." He said, hoping they wouldn't follow them in. They were just a little too annoying and persistent for him then. Lily and Sirius walked in to find a huge pile of dishes crowded next to a rather tiny sink. Only one person could lean over it at a time. She both let out frustrated sighs.  
  
"Urg. There must be dishes here from the entire school. That's 1000 dishes!" Lily said, almost whining.  
  
"Well this should be easy compared to tomorrow. We only had one meal today." Sirius reminded her.  
  
"Shit. This is impossible, we are going to be here all night!" she shouted.  
  
"Pretty much. Now will you shut the hell up, your annoying shrill is giving me one really big headache." He said, rubbing his temples.  
  
"Oh shut up. And your going to start washing, I'll dry them." She practically ordered him.  
  
"Like hell I am! You wash them!" he yelled and threw a cloth at her. It was dirty and she got soapy water all over her white shirt.  
  
"Ew! That's so nasty!" she yelled, and threw it back. He caught it.  
  
"Then don't order me around!" he spat.  
  
"I wasn't. I was merely assigning us jobs so we can get out of here before dawn." She said.  
  
"Well I do as I please. I don't need some little stuck up bitch who always thinks she's right, to boss me. I decide what I do." He smugly said.  
  
"Then pick something." She said, giving him attitude. "Before this stuck up bitch slaps you across the face."  
  
He gave her the evil eye. "Fine. I'll wash. We wouldn't want your pretty hands to get dirty, now would we princess?" he said, pretentiously.  
  
"That's what I said in the first place, you prat." She said, annoyed.  
  
"I know." He smiled. "I just love to piss you off." He said, turning on the water.  
  
"Pain in the ass." She said, not quite under her breath. Then she grabbed a dry towel and stood on the other side of him. He practically threw the dishes at her at first. She almost dropped them.  
  
"Stop it!" she yelled and hit him in the shoulder. This was going on for a good five minutes.  
  
"No, I'm having fun." He wistfully exclaimed and flicked water at her with his hands.  
  
"Oh, that's it." she said, fed up. She grabbed her wand.  
  
"Uh, uh, uh." He said. She paused. "Expulsion." He said, still retaining his stupid smile.  
  
She let out a loud cry of frustration and slammed the wand back down. "Damn you Black." She said, threw her teeth. "I hate you." She shook her head. She grabbed the towel once more and this time forcefully pulled the clean dishes out of his hands. She then threw them onto the pile on the floor next to her.  
  
"Jumpy?" he said, half kidding. He loved being one of the causes of her nerves.  
  
"Don't talk. If I can't hex you I would like to think that you aren't even there. If you say one word, one word, I swear I will gauge your eyes out with my fingernails. I don't care if I get sent to Azkaban. I just want you to shut the hell up." She said. It was getting late, they had no idea what time it was and she was feeling a little nutty. Her lack of sleep was getting to her.  
  
"Wow. Sorry." He said, a little taken back.  
  
"Let's just finish, so I can get sleep. Detention the day before classes, I can't believe it. It's all Potter's fault." She accidentally spit out.  
  
"Now hold on!" he said, stopping for a moment. "All Potter's fault?"  
  
"I know it was his goddamn idea. You were just his bitch." She felt it was her turn to unnerve him.  
  
"His bitch?!" he said, mock laughing. "How fucking dare you! We are partners, we do these things together!" he said, pointing at her.  
  
"Partners huh? Oh I see." She said, with a mocking expression on her face. "Don't worry I wont tell. You fairy boys can do whatever you want.."  
  
He cut her off. "Evans, you disgusting whore, don't even joke about that. Ew!" he screamed, trying to shake it off.  
  
"Don't you call me a whore, you hypocrite! You have no right to judge me." She said, pointing at him.  
  
"You think you're so freakin smart don't you? You think you are such hot shit..."  
  
"I think I'm hot shit? You have got to be kidding me. Ugh! You and Potter are the dirtiest guys in our whole year!"  
  
"No more dirtier than you and Renton. Oh, you wish we were interested in you two Evans. Please." He said, rolling his eyes at her.  
  
"You know Black, you really don't understand women. It's pathetic really. Do you really think we like Manwhores and players? Diana and I read you like a book, and believe me, you two are about as deep as a puddle. Grow up." She said, and he was silent for a few seconds.  
  
"We have to grow up? Who put us 50 feet high in nothing but..." he started.  
  
"Do you ever shut up Black? I'm done talking to you." She spat.  
  
They were both tired of fighting so they just resumed the dishwashing in silence. They had no idea how much time passed and they both began to yawn. After a while they both stopped concentrating. Then Lily just stared at the dishes. "You know what, fuck this! I am tired and it's your fault I'm here. I need to sleep and it's.." she stared at the clock above the sink. "Oh my god, it's 12:15!"  
  
"Shit, are you serious?" he asked, yawning. "We've been here four hours." He said, achy and complaining.  
  
"We have to go. Diana will be wondering where I am." She said, not really directly at him.  
  
"Prongs is probably asleep by now." He responded, to himself, still yawning. Then she stopped.  
  
"Why do you do that?" she suddenly asked.  
  
"Ugh. Do what?" Sirius said, rubbing his eyes.  
  
"Call each other those ridiculous names. Is there a purpose or do you think chicks dig it?" she mockingly asked.  
  
"There's a reason now shut up and let's go." He wanted to avoid this subject. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had become animigi fifth year. No one knew, not even their professors, and he wasn't about to explain it to one of his archenemies.  
  
She rolled her eyes and followed him out. The house elves were still busy at work and didn't even look up.  
  
"Don't you lot ever sleep?" Sirius asked, dumbfounded. One of them, who was stirring a pot full of soup, looked up.  
  
"No, sir. We have to get breakfast ready for tomorrow sir. We are happy to do it sir."  
  
"Uh, sure, whatever." Sirius said, not really listening.  
  
He and Lily went back through the portal and out the painting. They made their way rather quickly to the common room, partly to get away from each other faster and partly so they could pass out on their beds. Lily muttered the password to the fat lady and Sirius and Lily rushed to their dorms without even a glance. When Lily shut the door she breathed a sigh of relief. Then she slowly walked to her bed and plopped down on it.  
  
"Where the hell were you?" Lily heard Diana ask. Her face was buried in her own pillow.  
  
"Lost track of time." Lily answered, in the midst of a yawn. She began to take off her shoes. "So how was cleaning?" she asked Diana, rhetorically.  
  
"Sucked." Was her reply. Then Diana turned over on her side and faced Lily.  
  
"Potter give you a hard time?" Lily asked.  
  
"Yep, he only hit me with the broom like 100 times. And he was flirting, surprise, surprise, with Narcissa." Diana hissed.  
  
"Who?" Lily had never really heard of her.  
  
"That Slytherin. Oh you know her. She's blonde and tall, kind of looks like she could be Malfoy's sister. She seems nice though, strangely." She described.  
  
"Oh yea, her. Well I bet he didn't miss his opportunity. Was Snape there?" Lily asked.  
  
"Oh yea. He was laughing with Malfoy as usual."  
  
"Typical." Lily answered, as she went over to her dresser and took out a nightgown.  
  
"You know what Lil?" Diana hesitantly asked.  
  
"Hmm? What?" Lily answered while she draped the nightgown over herself and walked back to her bed by the window.  
  
"About Malfoy.." She started.  
  
"Yea?"  
  
"He looks, well, and don't hate me for saying this. He looks really good." She spit out.  
  
"Yea I know, I saw. I overheard someone say he was the Slytherin captain this year. It should be a rough one. But, wait. Did he say anything to you?" she asked suspiciously, as she was getting into her covers.  
  
"Well, sort of. He told me I was sexy."  
  
Lily laughed. "Well at least he noticed."  
  
"He also said he looked forward to seeing more of me. Do you think I should go through with it?" she asked.  
  
"Wait a second, hold on. You are not seriously thinking of hooking up with him are you?" she said, sitting up and facing her.  
  
"Maybe. Well why not?" she asked, defensively.  
  
"Because he's bad blood, that's why. He's obviously a Death Eater in training. Do you really want to get mixed up in all that?"  
  
"Oh Lily don't be paranoid. He's hot, that's it. I am perfectly aware that it is an impossibility to have a real relationship with a Malfoy. I'll just use him, that's all. C'mon, it'll be fun. I can fuck with his head." She said, smirking.  
  
"Whatever Diana, I'm exhausted. Do what you want, ok. We can talk about it tomorrow."  
  
"Alright. So how was Black?" she asked, still awake.  
  
"An asshole, now go to sleep." She spoke, with her eyes shut.  
  
"Nothing ever changes." She yawned. "Goodnight Lily."  
  
"Goodnight Ana." She yawned and closed her eyes. "Love you."  
  
"Love you too."  
  
With that they both fell asleep, hoping to be rested for what they were sure was going to be a trying day...  
  
(Ok, I know, not much happening here. Up next: their first day back! Thank you all soooooooooooo much for all the fantastic reviews! I am so thrilled with all of you; you guys are seriously the best ever! You're the reason I bang out chapters at 4 am, but it's worth it. And please review, that's how I write faster!) 


	8. Breakfast and the First Day of Classes

Disclaimer: see previous chapters.  
  
(A/N: I would just like to take this opportunity to recommend a really great story, for which I was the temp beta so you all have to read it! it is a great story and incredibly well written. I personally love it. It is called With Arms Wide Open, and was written by my friend and colleague, Feather. It is a story of Lily and James after Hogwarts, and its just really, really good. So get to it and review it! she deserves great ones : ) ~Angelxd14)  
  
~*~*~*~*~**************~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The next morning, 6:30 am...  
  
"Get up!" Sirius yelled as he tossed his tousled and wrinkled white shirt to his best friend. The response he got, however, was nothing but a reluctant groan. "I mean it Prongs. I want to get a seat downstairs." He said, eyeballing himself in the mirror and combing back his raven hair.  
  
"What time is it?" James whispered as he slowly turned over, groping for his glasses. When he finally grabbed them he put them on, his eyelids still weary from only six hours of sleep.  
  
"6:30." Sirius casually remarked.  
  
"6:30? Great." He said, stretching his arms out and yawning. "I have to get ready." He then got up, yawned again and walked over to his dresser. He grabbed an undershirt and walked out of his dorm to the prefect's bathroom in the middle of the hall.  
  
He was still half asleep when he opened the door, but he jolted when he heard a loud gasp on the other side. When he saw whom it was he smirked.  
  
"Am I really that threatening Evans?" he boyishly asked as he walked over to the sink where she was brushing her teeth.  
  
"Don't you ever knock Potter?" she asked, in her raspy, morning voice.  
  
"Not when I know it's you." He said.  
  
"Yea, like you did know just now." She said, rolling her eyes and shutting off the water.  
  
"Well didn't we wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. If you haven't heard, Evans, this is the prefect's bathroom. I can come in here whenever I please." He smugly said, grabbing his toothbrush.  
  
"Good for you." She spat, as she began picking up the towels she had left on the floor.  
  
"And I wouldn't have wanted to walk in on you still in the shower. That would have scared anyone to death." He said, looking at her through the mirror and spitting into he sink. When he realized she wasn't paying attention he became annoyed. He always enjoyed their usual morning tiff and it wasn't the same of she wasn't going to participate.  
  
Then Remus walked in, just as groggy as the other two. He wasn't a prefect, but used their bathroom anyway. It was closer to his dorm, and no one seemed to mind.  
  
"Morning Moony." James said, enthusiastically. Remus just nodded at him. He walked over to the sink next to James and grabbed another toothbrush. He began brushing his teeth when he saw Lily cleaning in the background. He turned around.  
  
"Need help there, Lily?" he asked, while rinsing his mouth.  
  
"No, it's fine. Thank you Remus, I'm done." She said, walking over to the laundry chute.  
  
"Ok. He said, and then he turned to James. "So Prongs, you ready for this afternoon?" he asked.  
  
"Oh yea. It's going to be tough though, finding replacements for Wood and Johnson. Best chaser and keeper we ever had. Hey, why don't you try out? You're a great keeper." he asked.  
  
"No, really. I couldn't." Remus stuttered. James nodded understandingly. "Well, that's ok. This season should be great, I have all these plans for us, and we are going to win that cup this year, despite Malfoy. He wouldn't know a good play if it bit him in the ass."  
  
Lily was listening in the background. Quidditch talk, she thought. It was all they ever talked about, when they weren't insulting the girls or talking about them. So they need two new players, she thought, and she smiled to herself. As she got up to leave she caught James' eye once more.  
  
"Good luck today Potter." She innocently said. He looked profoundly confused. "And be careful with that broom. We wouldn't want more wood shoved up your behind than there already is." With that she flashed him a fake smile and left. She passed Sirius in the hall and they just ignored each other. Then she went into her dorm to put on the rest of her uniform. Diana was barely awake, and she was staring at the ceiling, with her eyes half closed.  
  
"Wakey, wakey." Lily brightly said. Diana huffed and turned on her stomach. "Now, now, Renton, don't' be like that." She sweetly said, rubbing her head.  
  
"Go away!" Diana yelled. She was obviously not a morning person.  
  
"No, get up, we have a busy day today." She said, brushing her hair in the mirror. She just groaned and rolled over.  
  
"I hate school." Diana simply said. "Why do we have to get up so early?" she complained.  
  
"We want to get a good seat at the table, and I don't' want all the food to be gone." Lily simply said. Diana looked at her wristwatch.  
  
"It's only 6:40. There will be plenty of food there in...20 minutes." She said, putting the pillow over her head. Lily walked over to her and ripped the pillow out of her hands. Diana groaned. Then Lily sat beside her.  
  
After another minute Lily became tired and just sighed. Then Diana lifted her head and turned it towards her. "Fine!" she said, feeling frustrated. "It's like you're my mother, I hate it." she continued. She let out a loud and long yawn and then sat up. She stretched her neck and her shoulders while Lily began packing her textbooks for her morning classes.  
  
"Guess what?" Lily asked, heartily.  
  
"What?" Diana replied, half listening.  
  
"We're trying out for Quidditch." She said, as if it were obvious. Diana's ears perked up.  
  
"What?" she didn't think she heard her right.  
  
"This year, we are going to play Quidditch." She said again.  
  
"Why?" Diana asked, grabbing a brush from her nightstand.  
  
"Because we can, and we're damn good at it. Plus, it would be nice to help win back those points we lost, and achieve some glory of our own. Don't you want to win the house cup?" Lily asked, almost animated. Diana wasn't' fooled for a second.  
  
"The house cup? Since when do you care about the house cup?" she asked, chuckling.  
  
"Since I heard Potter say to Remus that he needs two new players."  
  
"And what makes you think he'll pick us? He can't stand me and he despises you." She stated.  
  
"Well, we're the best, he just doesn't know it yet." She smugly stated. Diana laughed this time.  
  
"Ok Lil." She said, thus ending the conversation.  
  
"What's so funny?" they heard a voice say. It was Nicole. She had popped her head in to see if they were ready.  
  
"Oh, didn't you hear Nic? We're going to play Quidditch." Diana said, mocking Lily. Lily glared at her.  
  
"Um, ok. Whatever you need to tell yourselves. I worry about you Lily, I really do." She was half kidding when she said this. "Do you really think Potter is going to allow you to play for him?" she asked.  
  
"We'll just have to see. And it's not like he can stop us.expulsion." Lily said, smirking.  
  
"Let's go down. The boys are already down there and I'm really hungry." Nicole whined.  
  
"Ok, ok. Diana hurry up, we'll meet you down there ok?" Lily asked.  
  
"Sure, I'll be down in a minute." She said, as she yawned again. Lily and Nicole proceeded to walk down the stairs, out of the common room and into the great hall. They spoke of odd things, like their schedules and the like. They were going to get them this morning, during breakfast. They were in mid sentence when out of nowhere, someone ran right into Nicole. She fell hard on the floor and her books were scattered everywhere.  
  
"Oh my god, I am so sorry." They heard them say. It was a boy speaking. He lent out his hand to Nicole.  
  
"Reums?" Nicole asked, somewhat bewildered. She put her hand on her head. She had knocked it on the way down.  
  
"Sweetie are you alright?" Lily asked, concerned.  
  
"Nicole I am so sorry, I..well I just left my books upstairs...I was rushing..I didn't mean to hurt you." He stuttered. She grabbed onto his hand and he helped pull her up. She landed on his chest with a soft thud.  
  
"It's ok." She said, blushing. "It happens." They were still embracing when they both noticed Lily with a huge grin on her face. Her arms were folded, and she suddenly felt like a third wheel. She picked up Nicole's books and they let go of each other. They were blushing red and seemed to laugh nervously at their childishness.  
  
"Well, I guess I'll see you in there." He said, trying to sound calm.  
  
"Sure, ok. See you in a minute." She said, with an equally nervous tone. Then he flashed her a sweet smile and jogged up the stairs back to the common room. Lily silently handed Nicole her books, the smirk still prominent, and they began walking again.  
  
"What?" Nicole asked, girlishly. She noticed Lily was looking at her.  
  
"You are just so cute, Nic, that's all." She said. They strolled into the great hall and Lily caroused it, looking for a place at the table.  
  
"How am I cute?" Nicole asked, watching Lily. She just turned to her.  
  
"Nicky, it is so obvious you like him, and your mannerisms are adorable that's all. You too would be so cute together." She said. Suddenly she saw the only place left. Everyone wanted to get down early on the first day and it was barely seven o'clock. Of course, it had to be where James, Peter, and Sirius were sitting.  
  
Nicole just blushed at Lily's words. "So you don't think he's gay?" she said, innocently.  
  
"Of course not. I was just messing with you yesterday. But look.." Lily pointed to the spot on the table.  
  
"Don't start anything." Nicole pleaded. "Please."  
  
"No. I am sick of it, to tell you the truth. It has gotten a little out of hand." Lily said, as she began to walk towards them.  
  
"Really? When did this start?" Nicole was slightly surprised.  
  
"I was up all night thinking about it, practically. It's just not worth it anymore." She said, shaking her head.  
  
"Does this have anything to do with the fact that you don't want to get expelled? You're not allowed to hex them so you figure you have to just learn to deal with it. Am I right? I know you, you're not going to make any effort to be friends."  
  
"Of course not. I am allowed to hate him, and I will until he proves me otherwise." She bluntly said. They were in front of the table now.  
  
"Yes?" James asked, with an attitude.  
  
"Can we help you?" Sirius asked, without looking up. Peter just lifted his head and smiled weakly.  
  
Lily just glared at James. "Well as you can see Potter, there aren't any seats anywhere. Do you really think I would choose to sit here?" she said, plopping herself down.  
  
"Hey, get up." He casually said. "You can't sit here Evans."  
  
"I don't care. Deal with it! Nic, sit!" Lily spat, and she did so.  
  
"Did you hear me? I said you couldn't sit here." He repeated.  
  
"Give me one good reason." She responded, and crossed her legs.  
  
"I just don't want it." he said. Sirius nodded. She was incredibly insulted, even if it was coming from someone she hated to begin with.  
  
"Why you little." she began raising her voice.  
  
"Everything alright over here? Potter? Evans?" It was McGonagall, and she looked as if she wanted to bust them for something, even if they were from her own house.  
  
"Yes Professor." They both said at odd times.  
  
When she was gone James inched closer to her face. "Do you want to get us all in trouble Evans? If Dumbledore sees us fighting we're out of here. We both know we can't control ourselves, which is why I don't want you sitting here." He whispered. Nicole just looked at the two of them while Sirius continued eating, his thoughts somewhere else.  
  
"Why are we sitting here?" they heard Diana ask. It was if she had appeared out of nowhere. She was still exhausted and it didn't help her mood to know that she would be eating breakfast this morning with Sirius Black. Her hair was a bit messy, and her waves stuck out of her ponytail in odd places. Nicole just motioned for her to cut it out and Diana raised an eyebrow. She made brief eye contact with Sirius, but ignored it and shimmied next to Nicole.  
  
Lily couldn't believe herself but she was actually hurt. But she quickly sucked it up. "I can control myself if you can." She whispered. "If you don't try anything, I won't. Besides, I'm hungry."  
  
"Well I won't." he said, as if it was obvious. "Let's just forget it ok? No more attacks."  
  
"Is that what you call them?" she asked, chuckling. She poured herself a glass of pumpkin juice.  
  
"Ugh, forget it. Just shut up and let me eat." He said, losing any niceness he actually had left. He averted his eyes from her and resumed eating. Just then, Remus came back, panting and holding his textbooks and parchment under his arms.  
  
"Portman, move over." Sirius said. There was no room on the boy's side for him. She did so, and blushed again. Everyone noticed. Diana smirked at Lily from the other side of her. Sirius and James just rolled their eyes.  
  
Remus sat next to Nicole, much to his delight. This pushed Diana over next to Lily, so she was facing Sirius. They made sure to glare at each other when their eyes met, but it went no further then that. They were being watched like hawks and they knew it.  
  
"Did we get our schedules yet?" Remus asked, still panting.  
  
"Nope. But here's McGonagall, and she's got them in her hand." Sirius pointed out, still chewing on a piece of bacon.  
  
Just then McGonagall walked over to them and handed them each the sixth year schedule. It would all be the same since they were all in the same year, but they each needed their own copy. Some of them took different electives than the others, but the main subjects would stay the same.  
  
"Here are your schedules." She said, and then walked away, still eyeballing them suspiciously. She couldn't believe that they were actually getting through breakfast without one of them turning into something grotesque. Dumbledore winked at her as if to say, I told you so. She rolled her eyes at him and resumed her seat next to him.  
  
They each looked at their schedule they each let out a disappointed sigh.  
  
"Oh no." James said.  
  
"Divination first." Nicole said, shaking her head.  
  
"At least it's with the Hufflepuffs this year." Peter said.  
  
"I hate that class. I wonder which one of us is going to die this year?" Sirius said, with an attitude as he stared at Diana. She rolled her eyes and mouthed a 'fuck you' so he could see it.  
  
"Oh great." Remus cut in. "Look at last period." He said, sighing. They all quickly joined him.  
  
"Potions." Lily and James said at once. Lily began to rub her temples.  
  
"With the Slytherins." Nicole said, in a whiny voice. They all groaned. They had potions together every year with the Slytherins. It was the worst class of the day, in their opinions.  
  
"In between's not that bad." Peter said, trying to cheer them up a bit. James looked over at his schedule.  
  
"Well that's because all you have are the main classes, plus Divination. I have, in addition to that, Arithmancy, and Muggle Studies. It's a good thing I dropped Divination, or I would have to Listen to Trelawney tell me, yet again, that I will eventually die a painful and horrid death." James said, a little dramatically. Lily rolled her eyes at him.  
  
"Lily, you dropped it too." Nicole said. "How come?"  
  
"Because I can't stand it. It's not even real magic. And it's the only class I did horrible in. I'm taking Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures instead." She calmly stated.  
  
"When do we have Charms?" Diana asked, lazily looking at her schedule.  
  
"It's before Potions." Nicole answered her.  
  
"What's your schedule Lily?" Diana asked. They had always been in the same classes.  
  
"Um, Arithmancy, Herbology, DADA, Transfiguration, History of Magic, Charms, then double Potions. My schedule sucks. Tomorrow's is even worse." She began when the bell rang.  
  
"Thank you!" James shouted as he began to gather his things and leave. Everyone hurriedly followed him out. Lily and James were both headed to Arithmancy, but they stayed a great distance from each other.  
  
Professor Vector, their teacher was a reasonably young man with an enthusiastic attitude. He was the kind of teacher who loved numbers and solving problems. Lily wasn't too fond of the Mathematics portion but she figured anything was better than tea leaves. Class began normally, with a welcome back speech and congratulations on the completion of the O.W.L.s. It started off typically enough. James sat in the back so he could sleep, and Lily sat right up front, he hand waving wildly in the air every time she knew the answer.  
  
This had always annoyed James to no end in the previous years but today he seemed to smirk at it. He actually thought it was kind of cute. He was watching her, much to his confusion. When she was thinking hard he noticed that she was twirling her hair, and biting on her quill. He almost laughed when he saw her realize that she had chewed some of her feathers off. He convinced himself that this was bothersome to him and snapped out of it. Show off, he thought. He still didn't find her pretty, but interesting to watch just the same. And he was bored.  
  
The day for everyone else seemed to go by rather smoothly. There was nothing new, then again it never was. In Divination, Diana and Sirius did a good job of avoiding each other. For that moment it was the best they could do. Once awhile their eyes would meet, but only with abhorrence and detest behind them. James had also told Sirius about Malfoy, jokingly, and was surprised by how much it bothered Sirius. They spoke about it on the way to their last class, potions.  
  
"I don't get it. What could se possibly see in a nasty Slytherin like that? I mean, he's annoying, he's mean, he thinks he so god damn smart..." Sirius started.  
  
"Since when do you care who the hell Renton dates? Let her do what she wants. They are probably perfect for each other anyways." James explained.  
  
"A Gryffindor and a Slytherin just isn't right." Sirius said, shaking his head.  
  
"Hey, what about that girl Narcissa I was telling you about. She was pretty hot, I don't care what house she is in." James said.  
  
"That's different. She's a girl. And admit it, if it was someone like..oh, I don't know, Evans, then you'd be pissed." Sirius pointed out.  
  
"No.not really. I hate her, why would I care?" he said. "She could date any one of those slimy gits and I would not give two shits about it."  
  
"They do deserve each other, if she is going to betray our house like that."  
  
"You're freaking me out Padfoot, you know that. You hate him, you detest her, end of story." James said, as they entered the classroom. They weren't late per se, but they were the last to arrive, which didn't start them off well at all with their professor. She was a hard tempered, stern professor, who loved to single out the Gryffindors and deduct points from them (surprise, surprise). Her name Professor Vischeus.  
  
"Potter! Black!" she started.  
  
"We know, sorry Professor." James apologized for the both of them.  
  
"Don't let it happen again. 10 points from Gryffindor! And you're lucky that is all I am taking away!" she spat.  
  
"Hmm, she's being nice." Lily whispered to Diana, too low for the professor to hear. She smirked.  
  
James and Sirius nodded and took a seat near the back. Narcissa was in the front row, and she turned around to look at James. He noticed her and smiled at her, warmly. He blushed and turned around again. Sirius rolled his eyes at James, who just shrugged back.  
  
They were split up into partners for the double period. She wasn't nearly as vicious on the first day of school. She, after all, didn't particularly care to be there either. As a result, each of them worked with whomever they chose. Their objective was, simply to brew the potion for Draught of the Living Death, a strong sleeping potion. It was a basic review for all of them, so they didn't pay much attention to what they were brewing.  
  
The professor left for a while and spent a lot of time in her office. The students took this as an opportunity to talk to one another. There were a number of conversations going on at once.  
  
"Yea, she's very hot Prongs." Sirius said, separating the asphodel and wormwood into separate piles. "Looks like Malfoy a little though, doesn't she?"  
  
"Thanks for the visual." James said, scrunching his face. "No, she's just blonde, that's all."  
  
"Well she seems to be turning around an awful lot." Sirius said, absentmindedly.  
  
"The Potter magic my friend. It's flawless." James said, proud of himself. Sirius rolled his eyes and chuckled.  
  
"Oh right. How could I have forgotten?" He replied, sarcastically.  
  
~"That's Narcissa, right there." Diana said, pointing to the other side of the room. Lily looked up briefly, shrugged then resumed her work.  
  
"She's pretty." She simply said. "Then again, they all are." She said, sighing.  
  
"Something bothering you Lil?" Diana asked.  
  
Lily shook her head. "Not really. This day is just never ending, that's all." She said, putting the ingredients into the cauldron.  
  
Then Diana saw Malfoy turn around. She pretended that she didn't see him. She was still unsure what she should do. The looked up again to see his bright, silver eyes, glance at her. She suddenly felt a shiver crawl up her spine. She returned the glance, and accompanied it with a coy smile. It was flirtatious, yet ambiguous. Even she wasn't sure what she wanted it to mean. Lily looked up for a second and noticed how Diana's mannerisms had changed. Then she looked at Malfoy.  
  
"No." she simply said.  
  
"Huh?" Diana asked, coming back to reality.  
  
"It's not a good idea." Lily said.  
  
"I'm sorry, what isn't a good idea?" Diana was a tad confused.  
  
"You and Malfoy. It won't work." She continued.  
  
"You said I could do what I wanted." She said, looking Lily in the eye.  
  
"Why would you want to do that to yourself?" Lily asked her, shocked. "He's a bloody Slytherin, he's creepy, he's aggressive, and I've seen him pack a really good punch. He's dangerous Diana." Lily cautioned.  
  
"Oh please!" Diana began to chuckle. "You are completely overreacting. He's just a bit intimidating. Besides, I like that." She said.  
  
"I just don't want to see you hurt, and take that however you want."  
  
"Don't worry about me Lily, I can take care of myself." Diana said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Lily just smiled and shrugged her friend off.  
  
~*~"She's mine." Malfoy said, pompously. "Soon, just you wait."  
  
"Ok Lucius. What do you want her for anyway? I know she's beautiful but.."  
  
"You know why Severus. Besides, she intoxicates me. She's just so, so nasty to me. I believe she has some intention to 'fuck with my head.' Well, isn't she in for a surprise."  
  
"Will you stop foreshadowing yourself. I get it." Snape said, rolling his eyes.  
  
"I can help you get Evans if you like. She is quite the little fireball."  
  
Severus glanced over his shoulder to see Lily smiling at something Diana had said. He smiled at her but she never saw. "No. I couldn't." he simply said, putting his head down.  
  
"Why not? She likes you, she's a spitfire, and she's gorgeous. What more could you want?" he said, mixing the ingredients and slowly putting them into the cauldron.  
  
"You're doing it wrong." Snape pointed out, referring to the potion.  
  
"What? Well I don't know what I'm doing. Fix it then." He smugly ordered. Snape glared at him and did so. He always was one of the best in potions. He had the highest average out of everyone. Then he glanced back at Lily. This time she saw him, and smiled back. She even waved at him. They had always spoken. She had defended him once, second year, after the Marauders had played a prank on him. He had always held her in high regard after that. After some time he even grew to love her.  
  
The bell suddenly rang and everyone got up to leave. Lily turned to Diana.  
  
"Quidditch." She said. Diana rolled her eyes.  
  
"You sure?" she asked. "Are you really serious?"  
  
"Absolutely." Lily said, and she couldn't wipe the smirk off her face.  
  
(I know, it is terribly rushed, and a tad longer than I'd like. Oh well, review! You know how much I love them. And I am sorry but there will be a Malfoy/Renton thing happening. It creates drama, what can I say? In the next chapter James begins to see Lily a little differently, which is good : ) and then there are the tryouts! Will they make the team?) 


	9. Quidditch Tryouts and the Official Truce

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.  
  
(A/N: ok, don't worry I will NOT put in a Snape/Lily romance. Ewwwww. And if you're a fan of it, I'm sorry to disappoint you or offend you in any way. And I will get L/J together soon, but not yet! Be patient, they have to be friends first, at least. Now calm down, I don't want to rush it! Believe me, I'll work out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~**~*~ 3:30 pm..  
  
Diana and Lily walked into their dormitory and threw their books on the floor. Lily was excited because she knew that 4:00 were the Quidditch tryouts. Diana, however, was nervous but she didn't let Lily know this. They both knew how to play, and were quite good. Last year they even went to the Quidditch World Cup, courtesy of the Ministry providing tickets to Diana's mother, who worked there.  
  
Lily wanted to try out for Quidditch simply because it was something new and different, and she got the chance to pester James, indirectly at least. She was thinking about how much she would love to see that vain in his temple throb. The thought made her smile.  
  
Diana loved Quidditch, she really did, but the thought of the entire school looking at her to see if she made a mistake unnerved her. She felt that other students wanted her to be made out a fool, and she didn't want to fail. She didn't want to give Black the satisfaction. Then again, she thought it fit to prove him wrong, a secret objective of hers.  
  
"Ok, let's go." Lily said, her smile still visible and overzealous. Diana simply nodded and smiled weakly. They didn't grab robes because they had none. They figured they would try out with the ones that were provided. Diana had a broom ever since she entered Hogwarts, but Lily went empty handed.  
  
They slowly made their way down to the field with only one broom and their confident attitudes.  
  
"Are we going to be nice?" Diana asked as they drew closer to the giant stadium. She could see a few students circling it, practicing.  
  
"Yea. We want to make the team don't we?" Lily rhetorically asked.  
  
"Sure. If you want to." Diana answered, shrugging.  
  
"Listen if you don't want to then you could go back. I don't want to force you."  
  
"No. I want to I'm just a bit nervous. Plus I'm not going to watch the games all by myself. I know I'll have Nicole but she doesn't like to make fun of the opposing team like you do. If you're up there, so am I." She said, and linked her arm with Lily's. She smiled and winked at her. While they were talking Sirius noticed them walking toward the field.  
  
"Oh no." he said. "Prongs!" he yelled. James was a good deal away talking to a second year who couldn't quite balance himself on his broom. When he heard Sirius shout he turned around. Sirius pointed in the general direction of the girls and James saw them. Then he jogged towards Sirius.  
  
"Damn it." James said, panting a bit. "What are they doing here?"  
  
"Well judging by what they're carrying I'd say at least one of them came here to try out." Sirius explained. The girls were officially on the field now, and both of them gained some confidence upon seeing James and Sirius. Even Diana smiled genuinely at Lily, and then they both reluctantly chucked, for this behavior was slightly foreign to them. It's just nerves, they thought, and dismissed it quickly.  
  
"Well if it isn't the bitch and the slut. What can we do for you this afternoon?" Sirius rudely asked.  
  
Diana remembered herself, and her genuine smile changed to bitterness in the matter of seconds. "Oh, you see, we're out here for our health. It's quite a habit really. We like taking long and exhausting walks out to the Quidditch field carrying a broom. It really works you two should try it sometime. Oh, and since I'm such a slut, I assume you were referring to me, Black, I figured that once we got here I could molest some second years. That is, with your permeation." Diana said with an attitude. Sirius gave a fake smile, one that told her that he was incredibly irritated.  
  
"Renton, I really am not in the mood for you right now. Excuse me." He said, and walked towards the mob of people in the background. James and Lily actually exchanged a confused glance, while Diana was slightly dumbfounded. It didn't go at all like she had wanted it to. She was disappointed.  
  
Then they all saw two eager girls, about their age running towards them. One had light brown hair and the other was a dirty blonde. Both were about medium height and had sparkling personalities. There was a boy behind them, casually walking in the same direction.  
  
"Lily! Diana!" they both shouted, as they grew closer, waving. The girls smiled and ran to greet them. James just stood by, feeling left out, his arms folded.  
  
"Alice!" Lily cried to the brunette.  
  
"Katrina!" Diana shouted in an equally enthusiastic tone.  
  
"Oh it's so great to see you guys, it's been months." Alice cried, embracing Lily.  
  
"Yes, where have you two been? Where's Nicole?" Katrina asked. They had run into Katrina the day before, but hadn't exactly exchanged hellos yet.  
  
"Oh she's up in the common room getting a head start on the homework. We didn't see you two last night." Lily said.  
  
"Oh we were here." Alice said. "But you two did seem a little preoccupied." She said, smirking.  
  
"Hey Jimmy." Katrina said, with a mock smile. It was the first time she had noticed James there. She was on the other side of the field the whole time.  
  
"Hey Kat." He reluctantly whispered. They had dated up until May of fifth year. They were only going out a couple of months, and the break was mutual.  
  
"Oh, yes well." Diana began.  
  
"Are you two here to play?" Katrina interrupted.  
  
"Uh, yes." Lily answered.  
  
"Really?" Katrina asked, surprised and perplexed. Then she glanced at James who was behind them, as if asking for an answer. All she got was a shrug from him. Then, the boy who was catching up behind them came into view. It was Frank Longbottom, Alice's boyfriend.  
  
"Damn, you two run fast." He said casually. "Hey Lily! Diana!" he said, warmly and embraced the two. Frank was a sweet, generous boy who was always friendly with the girls. He always liked them, and never wanted to be apart of their hit list. He was in their year, like the girls. He had been dating Alice since last year.  
  
"How was your summer?" he asked them both.  
  
"Good." Lily said. Diana nodded in agreement.  
  
"They're here to try out." Alice told him, and he shrunk back.  
  
"Really?" he asked.  
  
"Oh my god, yes. Everyone. Lily Evans and Diana Renton would like to try out for Quidditch." Diana annunciated, getting a tad irritated that everyone was asking the exact same question.  
  
"Why?" James appeared to join their conversation. Lily just sighed.  
  
"What's it to you?" she replied, smugly.  
  
"It's MY team." He simply said.  
  
This is true, she thought. "Well it's not like you can stop us."  
  
"Oh really?" he said, glaring at her.  
  
"Yea. There is no rule that states that just because you despise me, doesn't mean I can't play." She answered.  
  
"Well are you any good? Because if you aren't then I suggest you get off the field, now." He stressed.  
  
"We'll just have to see about that, now won't we Potter." She said airily. Just then Sirius walked back over to them, still cross and rather bothered.  
  
"Why are you still here?" he sighed. "We have work to do, and I don't want you disrupting these tryouts any more than you already have. Either stay or go, just pick one so I don't have to wonder any more whether or not I can slap you out here." He said, rather forcefully, and looking at Diana especially.  
  
"Now hold on. You've gone a bit too far Sirius." Frank said, trying to calm him down. "Just let them play. If they're terrible then they'll leave, but you aren't getting them out of here any faster by scolding them for no reason." He said, calmly. Alice and Katrina were rather taken aback.  
  
"Ugh, fine!" James shouted. Then he looked at Lily and noticed she was obviously unprepared. "You don't even have a broom, do you Evans? Unbelievable." He stated, putting his hands on his hips.  
  
"Here, use mine." Frank offered, handing it to her.  
  
"And take these." Katrina said, taking off her red and gold robes. She handed them to Lily, who thankfully smiled. James just shrugged.  
  
"Let's just get this over with. I don't want them getting us in more trouble then we are already in." Sirius said, and walked towards the benches. James followed him and they rounded up the children from the other years. They were eager to play and looked to their would-be captain with such respect and reverence. Lily found it silly, to be honest.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with Sirius?" Katrina asked, confused.  
  
"Yea." Alice said. "Since when does he care about getting in trouble? And he was mean to you Diana."  
  
"I'm used to it." she shrugged.  
  
"Yea, but..." Lily started. "He's acting weird, even for him. He was a little cruel. It wasn't playful at all. He wasn't even joking. It was like he was going out of his way to be mean."  
  
"Whatever. The bastard can think whatever he wants of me. It hasn't stopped him in the past and it won't now. He's just being Black, that's all, and I'm perfectly fine with it." Diana said, truly not caring. Although she had to admit to herself that she was a bit insulted. It was directly referring to her and all, but she felt it wasn't too out of the ordinary.  
  
"Alright!" they heard James shout and they all turned around. "We are going to go by year! Seconds first, obviously, then everyone else. We are going to start with basic drills. I want to see how you all score. I want you all to start with laps around the field, on your brooms to see if you can properly handle it. Second years can start now." All of them just looked up at him in awe. "Well what are you waiting for? Go!" he shouted and waved them off. James took his place next to Sirius on the bleachers. Diana and Lily sat with Frank, Alice and Katrina behind them.  
  
"So what do we need?" Sirius asked, looking at James' layout. "Wood and Johnson have graduated so that means we need.."  
  
"Well here's what we have so far." James cut him off. "Chasers: me and Andrew Spinnet, who remarkably isn't here..."  
  
"He's in the hospital wing." Katrina explained. "A Care of Magical Creatures accident."  
  
"Fantastic." James said, feeling frustrated. "We need two more Chasers. One of them will be a relief Chaser, we can't risk being short."  
  
"Ok." Sirius nodded in agreement.  
  
"We need a keeper. That's a big one. With Wood gone I don't know whom we'll get to replace him, and I don't know if these kids can handle it, especially against the Slytherins."  
  
"What else?" Sirius asked, inquisitively.  
  
"Well, we've got beaters. There's you and Frank, but we should probably find one more, just in case. And we've got a seeker, Kat." He said, pointing behind him.  
  
"A great seeker." Alice said, boosting her friend's confidence. Katrina smiled and blushed a bit. She seemed nice and sweet, which she was, but on the Quidditch field she was untouchable and ruthless. Then again she had to be.  
  
"But look." Sirius said. "All we have are these monkey wannabees who can't even fly in a strait line. And how are we going to see how they score without at least a relief keeper? Let's face it, we're screwed." He said, putting his head in his hands and contemplating the eventual beating they were going to get from the Slytherins.  
  
"I'll do it." Diana said, casually. James and Sirius abruptly turned around.  
  
"You?" Sirius mocked, and then started to laugh.  
  
"Yes, me." She answered, looking him strait in the eyes.  
  
"Renton, no." James said, shaking his head.  
  
"Why the hell not?" she snapped back.  
  
"Yea, she's a great keeper. She could wipe the floor with all of you." Lily chimed in.  
  
"Would you like to prove that Evans?" James asked.  
  
"I can do it. It's just a stupid tryout anyway." Diana said.  
  
"Let her do it." Frank said, trying to end what they hoped would not be a fight.  
  
Sirius and James looked like they had been betrayed.  
  
"Listen. We don't have an option. Let Lily fly up there with her to help. What position do you play?" he asked, turning to her.  
  
"Chaser." She answered. Again, James sighed and threw the notepad he was carrying on the ground.  
  
"Oy, who's the captain here? Me, and I say what we are going to do for the safety and well being of this team." He said, trying to gain some authority. They just looked at him, not caring what he said. There was a pause, and the girls, all four, just eyed him wearily.  
  
"Fine!" he shouted, throwing his arms up in the air. "Renton, get up there! Evans..well, I guess, show them how it's done if you two are so damn good!" he yelled. The girls nodded, and were satisfied.  
  
"Alright then. Diana, you need robes, yes?" she asked turning to her friend. She had Katrina's but Alice didn't play so they were one short. Alice only came out to see Frank.  
  
"Great. Padfoot, give her yours." James ordered.  
  
"Huh? No way." He said, grabbing them as if she were about to rip them off his body.  
  
"Just do it. I can't give her mine, because I'm captain and.." James said.  
  
"Ugh, ok!" he said, and took the robes off immediately. Then he threw them at her and she caught them without a care. Then she slipped them over her head. They went passed her feet and were big around the shoulders and midsection. Everyone chuckled.  
  
She just shrugged. "Oh well," she said, mounting her broom. Lily mounted Frank's with ease and they immediately shot up into the air. Then they circled once and came around to face the hoops. The second years, now joined by the third years, were still circling.  
  
"Ok, everyone stop a minute!" James called from the bleachers. They immediately paused where they were and looked down eagerly at their beloved captain. "Here's what we're going to do! Renton here is going to be the keeper, temporarily, and Evans there is going to show you all how to score a goal. Then you will follow and repeat, got it?! Now go!" he shouted. "And listen to her, she's going to show you all how it's done!"  
  
James sat back, cockily because he expected Lily and Diana to make fools of themselves. They have never tried out before so he always assumed they were either uninterested or terrible at it. Lily smiled knowingly at Diana, and she returned the glance.  
  
"Ok, now here it is." Lily began. "What you want to do first is make the keeper think you are going in the opposite direction. There are many moves that can make this affective; unfortunately they require more than one chaser. But I guess I can manage.."  
  
"Hold on, hold on!" James screamed, waving his arms at her. Then he mounted his broom and flew up beside her. "Need help already Evans? You've only been up here less than a minute." He pointed out.  
  
"I was merely pointing out that.."  
  
"What's the play?" he asked. "The one where you need more than one. It is, after all, most of them." He said.  
  
"Ok." Then she drew closer to him. She didn't want the others to hear. "The Porskoff Play." She whispered. James moved slightly away and looked at her in a rather interesting way. He was impressed. He nodded approvingly.  
  
"Excellent." He said. "Lily and I are going to show you the Porskoff play. Explain to them what it is." He said, looking at her.  
  
She smiled. "Alright. Hand me that." She asked a student who happened to be holding a Quaffle. He threw it at her and she caught it. "Ok. The Chaser carrying the Quaffle flies upwards, leading opposing Chasers to believe he.or she, is trying to escape them to score, but then throws the Quaffle downwards to a fellow Chaser waiting to catch it.."  
  
James continued to stare at her, impressed with her vast knowledge and clear depiction of the play that made Petrova Porskoff famous. He wondered what else he didn't know about her.  
  
She continued. "Now, as you all should know, pinpoint timing is of the essence, and it must be done carefully." She exclaimed. "That's it. Diana, don't try too hard to block it, I am trying to illustrate a point." She called behind her. She nodded in understanding.  
  
"Ok, now back up." James said, motioning with his hands. If it was going to work they had to at least be in the middle of the field. He and Lily flew, side by side to the middle, Lily holding the Quaffle.  
  
Diana was ready, but not too ready since she intended on letting them score. Then, out of nowhere Lily shot at breathtaking speed towards the goal posts, with James right behind her. Then she shot up about twenty feet and aimed her sight downward. James was down below, ready and she threw the Quaffle back to him. He caught it dead on. Then, quick as ever he shot it into the center goal post, Diana obviously didn't move. Nor had she any reason to. The younger years cheered at this brilliant example of teamwork and technique at its best.  
  
Lily swooped down beside him and he looked at her with the utmost pride, thrilled that she had accomplished the play so beautifully. He saw her wild, dark red locks blowing in the unruly wind and for the first time, he actually respected her.  
  
"Wow Evans." He spoke, for he was at a loss for words. "That was..."  
  
"Bloody fantastic!" Diana yelled at them, clapping to Lily. Lily turned back to James and shrugged.  
  
"What can I say? I told you." She smirked. James returned the glance and then turned to Diana.  
  
"Renton, let's see what you can do!" he yelled, cupping his hands over his mouth. She waved an ok while he motioned for the trainees to get started practicing what they had done.  
  
Year by year the hopeless Quidditch wanabees tried to run past her with the Quaffle. She wouldn't have it. She had absolutely no mercy, which is what the team needed. Even Sirius tried to hide the fact that she was good, maybe too good.  
  
"She is amazing!" Frank said, enthusiastically.  
  
"Yea, well they are second and third years. They can't even fly strait let alone score a goal." Sirius smugly said. "Anyone can block that."  
  
"I'd like to see you try." Katrina said, defending her. "Let's see how great you are, Black. Get one past her." She said as she pushed him. James looked at him inquisitively for a response, and cocked his head to the side.  
  
Sirius stared at him with contempt behind his eyes. "But I don't have any..."  
  
"Take mine." James said, handing him his robes.  
  
"But you said.."  
  
"I've got to see this, Padfoot, Captain or not." He said, and that was that. Sirius mounted his broom as well and flew towards Diana.  
  
"Well, Black. Have you come to play?" she said, condescendingly.  
  
"Let's see how hot you are now Renton." He said, as he grabbed the Quaffle from a quivering Fourth year.  
  
And so they battled it out on the Quidditch field. Sirius tried every single play he knew of in the book. She was like a wall. Their intense hatred for one another seemed to intensify their defenses. Even though he didn't train as a Chaser he still knew what he was doing. He tried to hit her with Reverse passes, and the Hawkshead Attacking Formation, for which Frank flew up to help because they needed more than one Chaser. Katrina lent him her broom. Nothing. She came back three times as fast with Double Eight Loops and even perfected her own version of the Starfish and Stick. After about fifteen minutes everyone was dumbfounded and the three players were panting heavily.  
  
"Whoa!" James spoke, thus breaking the silence. Everyone, even Lily, was speechless. She had never seen Diana be so aggressive. Sirius just looked at Diana, only once, without emotion and flew down to the rest of his teammates. She thought for a moment and then followed. The anxious students still up in the air waited for directions from James.  
  
Diana landed next to Lily while Lily handed Frank back his broom. James had the silliest, happiest grin on his face that Lily couldn't help but smile back at him. He had never looked at her that way before.  
  
"Wow!" he said, his head shaking. "I mean really! You guys can go, you're on, and that's it!" he said, practically laughing with happiness. He had just realized that the women of his nightmares had become his tool for winning this year. They would be unstoppable. Everyone else felt the same way.  
  
Lily and Diana just exchanged confused glances while Sirius just sat back and said nothing. He had to admit that James was right, but he wasn't going to praise them if his life depended on it.  
  
"Really Potter?" Lily asked, making sure if he wasn't kidding them. He nodded and she believed him.  
  
"Oh this is so great! We are all going to be on the same team!" Katrina cried, embracing them. Then Diana and Lily turned to leave, waving at Alice, Katrina and Frank, and a civil nod to James and Sirius. Diana looked at Sirius and threw his oversize robes back to him. They practically ran back to the common room.  
  
"You do realize that this season is going to be hell now don't you?" Sirius bluntly said, a bad attitude written all over his face. "Evans and Renton." he muttered, trailing off. "After all the shit they put us through, unbelievable." He muttered. James shook his head.  
  
"I know. What the hell are we getting ourselves into? But they are just so good. To give them up would be a crime." He said, justifying his reasons. "But all we have to do is play." He mentioned. "That's it..." James muttered, convincing himself that it were true. ~*~ "Nicole!" both girls shouted at once and immediately she jumped up, scared silly. She was content on doing her homework in her peaceful and quiet dormitory, and their shouts came out of nowhere. When they saw her jumped they giggled.  
  
"Damn it, you guys." She said, putting her hand over her chest. "Not funny." They continued to giggle.  
  
"So how'd it go?" Nicole asked, interested. She closed her books and threw them off her bed. Lily and Diana just looked at each other.  
  
"You are now looking at the new Chaser and Keeper for the Gryffindor house team." Lily said, rather animated and taking an exaggerated bow. Nicole laughed.  
  
"Are you joking?" she asked, clutching her stomach from shock and amusement.  
  
Diana nodded to confirm.  
  
"Well, I don't know what he was smoking but it looks like we are in for quite a year. Only, don't attack each other on the field. It won't look good if the team turns against each other." Nicole said, half kidding.  
  
"No, nothing like that. Although Black might ram Diana one day, we're still not sure." Lily said. Nicole chuckled. "Well, I'm going to start the essay for Professor Binns. Catch you all later." Lily said. She was still smiling when she got to her room at the end of the hall. Diana stayed in Nicole's room because they had to analyze their futures for Divination. They figured they would just make things up. But it was definitely a good laugh.  
  
Lily plopped down on her bed, and laid down. Even though Potter was captain, she was excited to finally be on the team. He was what prevented her from trying out in the past. She learned how to play Quidditch from Diana's mother, Alison. She was friends with some of the players from Puddlemere United, who would come over when Lily would spend the last two weeks of summer vacation with the Renton's. Their parents were friends, much to the incredible embarrassment of Lily's sister Petunia.  
  
Lily sat there thinking of a lot of things. She missed her parents; she hadn't seen them since June. They went on holiday in Paris while Petunia stayed home, complaining about how she would miss her boyfriend too much. What was his name? Lily wondered. Oh yes, Vernon. Disgusting man, she thought. And not even remotely attractive. He was probably the most vulgar man she ever met, well, next to Potter, she told herself. Then she rolled over an attempted to do some of her homework.  
  
She started with Potions, the professor had assigned them an essay at the beginning of the period. She had to write three full sheets of parchment on the possible catastrophes of improper labeling. Pointless, she thought.  
  
Somehow, and much to her distress she couldn't bring herself to concentrate. She kept thinking of the same thing. One annoying thought in particular that seemed to unnerve her so much that she even had to get up and get a glass of water. Potter, she thought. That smile...how come she had never noticed it before, she thought. It was sincere, genuine. She shivered at the thought. 'Why the hell am I thinking about this?' she argued in her mind. 'I hate him. I have every reason to hate him.'  
  
She threw the parchment back in her bag, seeing no point in doing it because she wasn't concentrating anyway. She was jittery, she needed a cigarette, and badly. She didn't smoke much, only when she was overly stressed or nervous or excited. She didn't know what she felt at that moment. She went over by the window, making sure to steal Diana's lighter from her dresser. She opened the window a crack and peered outside. She could see in the distance the tall, majestic Quidditch hoops, and she smiled again. She saw no children flying about so she had assumed tryouts were over. She secretly congratulated herself for her impressive showing, and she remembered: he just looked so good...  
  
Then suddenly she heard a knock at the other side of the room. Her door was open and when she turned she saw James standing there. She was slightly surprised, but she didn't mind just the same.  
  
He was walking back to his room when he had this strange feeling that he wanted to see Lily. He had the sudden urge to speak to her. It didn't matter about what. As he neared her door he realized that it was open. He glanced in at first and noticed her sitting there by the window, a vacant expression on her face. When he looked deeper he realized how different she seemed to him. She was almost innocently pretty. He never thought so before because of the bad feelings. But this morning they had made their somewhat silent truce, and were civil the rest of the day, for the most part. And he did choose her to be on the team, despite how much he told himself that he disliked her. He knocked carefully, unsure of what was to come next.  
  
"Hello." Was what came out. Sounded sufficient enough to him.  
  
"What do you want?" she asked confused. Then she shook it off. "I mean, hello. Did you want to talk to me about something?" she said, trying to retain her usual demeanor with him. She didn't want to give him any ideas.  
  
"Um, I just wanted to say, well, great job today Evans. You, uh, exceeded my expectations. Plus I was on my way to the dorms, and your door was open.." He said, rather inarticulately.  
  
"The boy's dorms are on the other side Potter. You do know that right?" she said, sarcastically.  
  
"Yes Evans. I just wanted to congratulate you, nothing more."  
  
"Oh. Well I did tell you Potter. I told you so." She smugly said, and smirked.  
  
He fixed his attitude to suit hers. "Well don't get your hopes up or anything. I just chose you because there was no one else. And we have to prove to Dumbledore that we can work in a civilized manner. All part of the plan."  
  
She chuckled. "Plan? You wouldn't know a decent plan if it was screaming in your ear. We were the BEST, admit it." she ordered.  
  
"Hmm, I don't know Evans.." He began, scratching the back of his head.  
  
"Why you stubborn ass, how dare you.." she spat, annoyed. After all that he wasn't even going to admit anything. Such a child, she thought.  
  
"No, now, Evans, before you get all hostile let me finish. You two were good. Well, you were great. But the best.that is certainly debatable."  
  
"Ugh, unbelievable. Well I suppose I'll settle with that." She said, wistfully. "You've got to keep up that ego, after all." She said, returning her gaze back to the window. It was growing darker by the minute. The conversation seemed like it was over, but he couldn't quite bring himself to leave.  
  
"Could I have one of those?" he asked. She just looked at him, her over assuming look plainly clear.  
  
"Sure." She said, handing a cigarette to him.  
  
"Are you sure you haven't poisoned it?" he asked.  
  
"I don't think I'd poison my own, would you?" she said, squinting and leaning backwards on the sill.  
  
"Right." He said, feeling a bit stupid. He lit it and their eyes met once more. He looked at her thoughtfully, trying to decipher what she was thinking. Then he asked her something he had been meaning to for the last hour.  
  
"Why do you hate me Evans?" he asked. She almost chocked at his question.  
  
"Sorry? Don't be stupid Potter you know exactly why." She said, catching her breath.  
  
"Explain it to me." He said, serious like she had never seen him.  
  
"Uh, well the same reasons you hate me." She said, matter-of-factly. He still looked at her, his expression unchanging. "Well, honestly? You're annoying, pompous, crass, callous, unfeeling, spoiled, apathetic, self- centered, perverted, immature, arrogant, stuffy, irksome, pesky, and you think you're right about everyone and every damn thing on this earth. You also have the most warped sense of humor ever, and your idea of yourself and women is completely and utterly false." She said, attitude behind every word. James started to break out laughing. Then he looked up at her; clearly she was infuriated at his response. It only made him laugh harder.  
  
"If you're going to be an asshole then get out!" she cried, and pointed to the door.  
  
"No, no, Evans. I'm sorry, really." He said, stressing his last word. "It's just that, you don't hold back do you?" he was chuckling. She just huffed and crossed her arms. "Oh, and taking what you said earlier, that should mean that I should hate you for those exact reasons?"  
  
"That's not what I meant, and you know it." she spat, throwing the cigarette out the window.  
  
"I know." He acknowledged, still smirking. "It was just, um, a humorous realization, that's all.  
  
"Better late then never." She simply said. "So why do you hate me?" she said, curiously.  
  
"Well, you are the biggest bitch I have ever met in my life." He said, throwing his cigarette out the window.  
  
"Naturally." She was proud of that. "It's your fault I'm this way."  
  
"Sorry." He oddly meant it.  
  
"Don't be." She said, dismissing it. "It was fun, for awhile."  
  
"And it isn't now?" he asked. She shook her head.  
  
"No. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of you." She blurted out, not realizing it.  
  
"Thanks." There is a pause, she shrugs, and he hesitates. "I don't want to hate you Evans."  
  
She looks at him, unbelieving. "Like hell you don't. You just want peace among your precious team, Potter. It's ok. I don't care. It's not like it'll change anything."  
  
"It doesn't have to be this way."  
  
"Is this why you came here? To make friends with me?" she chuckled. "Please. I know you better than that." She said.  
  
"Do you?" he wondered. "What makes you think that?"  
  
"What makes you think you know me?" she replied.  
  
"Evans. This so-called rivalry we have. Personally, it gives me a bit of a headache. No I'm not saying that we have to be buddies but, we can be indifferent to each other." He suggested.  
  
"I thought we had already come to that realization this morning." She reminded him.  
  
"Maybe." He said, raising an eyebrow at her. "I just wanted to say, I'm sorry. At 16 we should be acting like adults, not children."  
  
"Are you sure that is possible, even for you?" she joked. He looked a little hurt.  
  
"I don't know. I'll, uh, stop bothering you." Then he stood up strait and proceeded to leave.  
  
"Potter?" she asked. He turned around. "I'm sorry too. Truce, officially?" she asked, with a hint of girlishness in it. A mischievous smile crossed his lips. She held out her hand. He nodded, walked over to her and took it. He let the grip linger for a few seconds. He noticed how soft her hands were.  
  
"Truce." He said, and then he let go.  
  
"You know what I noticed, out on the field today?" she asked, before he left.  
  
"What?" he asked, leaning against her doorframe.  
  
"You said my name. You've never done that before." He looked confused.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked.  
  
"You called me Lily." She said with a smile.  
  
"Oh. Is that ok?" he wasn't really sure.  
  
"Well, it made me realize how annoying your voice truly is. You said it so nasally." She said, scrunching her face. He playfully huffed at her.  
  
"See you at dinner Evans." He said, smirking, and straitening his position. He shook his head and walked towards the direction of the boy's dorms.  
  
Lily closed the door to her dorm, and lingered there for a while. She smiled again, this time out of satisfaction.  
  
"See you at dinner." She whispered. "James."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Yay, they're friends now! Happy? Well it took awhile to write so you better be! And yay for my reviews! I really love all of you. You guys are too awesome! I'm going to thank you all now:  
  
*Guard Girl: thanks for pointing that out. I actually didn't realize it until I actually read it over after it was posted. I was typing a mile a minute at like 2 am. But when I did read it, it annoyed me too. Thanks for the heads up and I will avoid it in the future. There are definitely other ways to express sarcasm, so I'll take your advice. I always appreciate it.:)  
  
*Miaka: you're good.no, you're great! Thank you soo much! : )  
  
*Lily's Guardian Angel (Asuka): I love that I make you laugh and you love the story. I only hope that it turns out to be everything you say it is. You are awesome girl, and stay hyper, it makes me write fast!  
  
*Sun Star: Yes, Yavanna thanked me before but, your welcome! Your story was awesome and I am so happy you reviewed mine! And thank you too, I am all about class, he he (well, not really :)  
  
*Kaydee: I am so glad you love it, and don't worry. There will be no Snape/Lily romance thing. I hate it when people do it too. I'm glad you want more! And I love that you love my writing, even though I think it sucks, but thanks anyway! Love ya!  
  
*Daniel's girl" Clam down! They will get together soon! Be patient! I made them friends, see!  
  
*Monopoly Queen: thank you, and I will try to update as quickly as possible, but it's hard. Thanks, and you rock!  
  
*Feather: yea, I know that Snape loving Lily is odd, but I have had a soft spot for the bastard for a while, and wanted to give him some emotions. And I will keep writing! And so should you dear! You know that I always love your reviews because you tell me exactly what I want to hear and you aren't afraid to criticize me, and tell me what you really think. I respect you, and always look forward to our little random chats. Thanks again, and talk to you soon!  
  
*freakyfroggurl22: you're awesome too! I love you too! And you just kick ass all around!  
  
*Alexa Donaghy: Ah Queen Alexa, you honor me with your lovely reviews! I am eternally grateful for my award as well as my many prestigious titles that you have so graciously given me. And there shall be only one Honorary Pixie, and that is me! I love my cookies and lollies too! I'm glad you like it! It is truly a compliment coming from such a crazy, fucked up bitch like you. But then again, aren't we all! Helz yea for insane bitches! You know you are the shit, and you continually cause me to laugh my ass off, which is why I remain faithful, because you are and always will be Queen. *Bows*~Princess Anna  
  
Thank you all so much and I am so sorry to anyone I forgot. Keep them coming! 65, wow! I never expected it to catch on like it did! I blow kisses to all! Here, take a lollipop, all of you!~Angelxd14 


	10. Denial and Black's Confession

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Got it? Nothing! And by the way, for all you anti-smoking people out there, I am sorry but everyone smokes in this story! Its not like I advocate it in any way, it is just part of their character, at least I say it is. So whether or not you think it is disgusting or don't picture it for the character, take into account that this is the early 70's here. No one cared about the consequences or harm it can do. And it is the UK people! Name me one British person who doesn't. Plus, I do, so you're just going to have to deal, thank you! ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~  
  
About 2 weeks later...  
  
Lily and James spent the past two weeks remaining remarkably civil to one another. Then again they were on the same team now, and the 5:00am practices weren't exactly fight provoking. It was simply too early.  
  
Oddly enough, Lily and James both convinced themselves that the other was not exactly their cup of tea anyway, and ignored all the awkward moments and hidden glances. They quipped at least once a day, so that everyone wouldn't start talking and they were more comfortable in each other's presence. They even exchanged the rare small talk during Arithmancy. It was mostly because James had no idea what was going on most of the time, despite his intelligence. James knew what he was doing in class, sort of; it was just that his shallowness got in his way.  
  
Lily was indifferent to helping him. She was somewhat forced to tutor him under Professor Vector's request because she was the girl with the highest average in the class. She protested, but there was really no one else to do it. He wasn't failing, it had only been two weeks, but the professor felt that he was not reaching his full potential.  
  
The tension between Remus and Nicole only strengthened; their feelings painfully clear to everyone else, and strangely not to them. They were both shy in that respect.  
  
Diana and Sirius..well, their relationship wasn't exactly how it was ordered to be. The first week went well, they ignored each other successfully and rarely even made eye contact. Sirius seemed to have a serious attitude problem, which everyone questioned but were slightly indifferent to the cause. Not even he knew it. He and Diana fought more than James and Lily did on the Quidditch field, and James and Lily were never in agreement about the plays, despite James being captain.  
  
Sirius was being downright impossible to be around during practice, even James scolded him for not keeping the team in order. They would have their first Quidditch match on September 19, the same day as the ball. James was increasingly nervous about it, even though he had confidence in the team.  
  
It was September 15, about 6:00...  
  
Diana opened the door to the dorm to find Lily hard at work on homework.  
  
"You're not done yet?" she asked. Lily was usually the type of person to put her work first. It was almost six, and homework for Lily never took more than an hour.  
  
"Nope. This essay is a killer. I've been doing it forever." Lily replied, not looking up. "Did you finish?" she asked.  
  
"Mmm hmmm." Diana said, looking very intently at Lily. She still didn't look up and she could tell that she was, by no means concentrating on her essay. She was copying the textbook, which required no effort whatsoever. Diana walked over to Lily and plopped on her bed. She stared at her again, Lily totally didn't notice.  
  
"Do you have a date for the ball yet?" she asked. Lily's ears perked up, and then she sighed.  
  
"Nope. I completely forgot about it, to be honest." She lied. "Why?"  
  
"Guess what?" Diana asked, trying to avert her attention.  
  
"What?" Lily replied, still not looking up.  
  
"Well, you probably don't care because, well, I didn't, but since gossip is so short these days..." she began  
  
"Spit it out Ana." Lily said.  
  
"Ok. I was serving detention last night, obviously, and Potter and I had to clean the girl's dorms."  
  
Lily looked up at the mention of James' name. "And." she said, looking at her.  
  
"Well, I heard him ask out Narcissa Black to the Ball on Friday." Diana said, pretending to sound secretive. "Can you believe it?"  
  
Lily coughed. "Well I'm sure she was happy about that." She said, closing her books and pushing them off the bed.  
  
"Indeed, oh you should have seen her. She acted as if he had proposed. It was so priceless I wish you could have been there." She said, remembering.  
  
This did make Lily smile. She had always thought the girls that chased after James were pathetic. "Let me guess she got all red and grabbed her chest in excitement." Lily blurted, while leaning on the headboard.  
  
"Oh my god, yes! And she was like 'oh James! Of course I will!' it was really too sad, I think she almost started crying."  
  
"Pathetic. You'd think he was a god or something." Lily chuckled.  
  
"I know. I swear, every woman who is attracted to Potter must have a screw loose or something. They are all stupid, relentless, and...blonde, come to think of it."  
  
Lily thought for a moment. "Yea. I've never really thought about it before." She said. "Narcissa's sweet though, despite being a Slytherin and so utterly predictable. We've spoken a couple of times this year, she seems harmless."  
  
"I suppose." Diana said, looking very closely at Lily's expressions. They were different, strange. Then Lily smiled for what it seemed to Diana for no reason. Lily then shook it off. Then a thought hit her.  
  
Diana's eyes widened and she began to laugh.  
  
"What?" Lily said, snapping out of it and looking up.  
  
"What's with you?" Diana asked intently.  
  
"Nothing." She answered and shrugged it off once more.  
  
"Like hell there isn't. You only have that look when you want something. What is it?" Diana asked, hopping on her bed.  
  
"Calm down it's nothing. I don't want anyone I swear."  
  
Diana gasped. "You do!"  
  
"I do not!" Lily answered, shocked.  
  
"Yes I said 'something' and you answered with 'anyone'. Hmmm Lily, I don't know, I have inquisitions."  
  
"Don't flatter yourself its nothing." Lily answered. "What time is it?" she asked, changing the subject.  
  
Diana looked at her watch, even though this conversation wasn't over. She felt that she shouldn't force her to discuss it if it made her uncomfortable. But she was certainly curious.  
  
"Dinner time, finally!" she said, stretching and pushing herself off the bed.  
  
"Already? Wow. Hey, didn't you just have a snack. Nicole had Chocolate Frogs in her dorm."  
  
"Well that's not food." Diana said, as if it was common knowledge.  
  
"Then what do you call it?" Lily chuckled. "I swear you remind me of Black sometimes."  
  
"Hey, don't compare me to him, that's an insult." She said, pointing at her. "How would you like it if I told you that you reminded me of Potter. Which you do sometimes, by the way." She was fixing her hair in the mirror. She took it out of her ponytail and let it hang loose.  
  
"I guess you're right." Lily said, gripping her hands around her knees. "Why are you dressing up?" Lily asked as she watched Diana grab some makeup out of her bag. "It's just dinner."  
  
"I know." She answered as she turned around. "Excuse me if I want to look halfway decent sometimes." She said, with a little attitude. Diana was certainly acting strangely lately, but Lily couldn't contemplate what it could possibly be about.  
  
Lily gave her an annoyed look. "We have detention after dinner." She suddenly remembered, and said out loud.  
  
"I know, just like every other night. C'mon, lets go down, we have to get Nicole." She said, heading towards the door. Lily nodded and got up.  
  
Then a curious thought hit her. "You're dressing up for him, aren't you?" Lily whispered as they neared Nicole's dorm. Diana shot her quite a glare. Lily couldn't quite interpret it.  
  
"No." she answered nervously. She was blatantly lying, and Lily knew it. She raised an eyebrow at her. "Really, we haven't even spoken all that much lately. He's always with Snape."  
  
Lily knew her better than that, but dismissed what she had said anyway. She didn't think it was going to be serious or anything.  
  
"Hey, she's not here." Diana said surveying her room.  
  
"Maybe she went down." Lily answered. They nodded and proceeded to go downstairs. When they neared the entrance to the great hall Lily stopped Diana.  
  
"Listen I'm just going to go outside for a few minutes. Save me a seat ok?" she asked.  
  
"Sure." She said and began to walk in. "Hey, do you have my lighter by any chance?" Diana asked, pointing at Lily suspiciously.  
  
"I have no idea what you are talking about." She simply said. Then she smirked and turned to walk outside.  
  
When she got out thee she rummages through her bag and let out a sigh if relief when she found her cigarettes. She wasn't looking where she was walking, and it was dark outside and she rammed, smack into someone else.  
  
She screamed. Then she saw who it was. "Damn it Severus, you scared me half to death!" she said, slapping his shoulder.  
  
"Ow! Sorry." He said.  
  
"No. It was my fault really." She said.  
  
"This is true. So what are you doing out here?" he asked, putting formalities aside.  
  
"Same as you." She said, pulling out her cigarettes and Diana's lighter.  
  
"Ah." There is a pause and he nods. "I haven't seen you this year. Well I have, but we haven't said a word."  
  
Lily felt bad about this but didn't really show it. "I know. Sorry about that. I have been slightly distracted." She said, lighting it and leaning against the stone wall. "I acknowledged you though." She said with a half smile.  
  
"Oh yes, thank you for that. " he said, sarcastically. "So how are you?" he asked, staring her up and down. She didn't seem to notice.  
  
She chuckled. "Fine." She was never one for hopeless small talk. There was uncomfortable silence as they stood there. Severus stared at her, and he knew that she knew nothing of his feelings for her. Lily liked him; he had always been nice to her. She would say they were friends if anyone asked. For years they had this kinship because they seemed to be the butt of a lot of the pranks played by the Marauders. Despite being from opposite houses, the two had sort of a hidden friendship.  
  
"So," he began, thus breaking the silence. "How's... Diana?" he spit out. Lily looked puzzled and he could tell it wasn't something she would rather discuss. Then she wondered why he would ask that. It was an odd topic of conversation, especially if it had been the first time they had spoken in months.  
  
"Um.." She began. "What do you mean? She's fine.. why? Do you know anything?" she asked, quite inarticulately.  
  
Well that depends. What would you like to know?" he slyly asked.  
  
"Oh stop that. Is there anything going on, between, well, you know? She was cut of by the sound of Severus grunting, and then laughing. She widened her eyes at him. "And what is so funny?" she asked, confused an annoyed. He just looked at her, as if he couldn't believe she didn't know.  
  
Then she gasped. "Oh no...are they?" she asked, and put her hands over her mouth.  
  
"No, no, no." he replied, reassuring her. She breathed heavily out of relief. "Well, not yet anyways."  
  
"What does that mean?" she asked, eyeing him nervously. She didn't like not being informed, especially when it concerned her best friend.  
  
"Well, they're not sleeping together if that's what you're worried about. But you must know that he is trying very hard to win her affections." He said, taking another puff of his cigarette.  
  
She sighed and shook her head. "I knew it. Is it working?"  
  
"Well you're going to have to ask her."  
  
"She won't tell me." She said, shaking her head. "She knows I'll disapprove." She paused. "Is he taking her to the ball?"  
  
"He hasn't asked her...yet." he replied.  
  
"Shit. Well, it's not like I can do anything. She's not looking for anything long term anyway. Neither am I come to think of it." She said, thinking out loud.  
  
"Yea I know what you mean." He said.  
  
"Do you now?" Lily asked, glaring at him with question. Her cigarette was finished so she then proceeded to leave.  
  
"I'll see you later Severus."  
  
"Wait, I'll walk in with you." He said, speeding up his walk. She nodded and stopped.  
  
"Alright. You know, I'm glad we ran into each other. I don't know when I would have spoken to you."  
  
"Me too." He said, smiling. She smiled sweetly back.  
  
"So tell me, any witch taken your fancy yet?" she asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Let's go inside." He replied.  
  
"Oh so now you don't want to talk about it Severus, hmmm? Interesting I'll have to remember that one." She said, kidding with him. He chuckled at her as they opened the large cherry wood doors. They each sat as their respective tables. Severus took his usual spot next to Lucius, while Lily sat next to Diana. Nicole was across from them. The Marauders were sitting on the other side.  
  
"Hey Lil." Nicole cheerfully said while shoving some food into her mouth.  
  
"Hey. So, Nic, do you have a date for the ball yet?" Lily asked, grabbing her utensils.  
  
Nicole blushed. "No, um, not yet." She said, smiling secretly to herself.  
  
"Well you better get a move on, dear, it's in..four days is it?" Diana said.  
  
"Yes. Its not like you have a date Di, right?" Lily asked, pretending to be ignorant.  
  
"Nope. I plan on going solo to this one. You know, keep my options open." She said, looking down.  
  
"Well has anyone asked you?" Nicole questioned, looking back and forth from Lily to Diana, who seemed to be speaking to the air.  
  
"Not that I remember." Was Diana's reply.  
  
Nicole noticed Lily roll her eyes when she saw them stop at the other side of the table. Then she saw her squint in disgust.  
  
Nicole looked to where Lily was staring to find James speaking with Narcissa. She had walked over to say hello. They were laughing and she saw him hug her. When she left they heard him yell, "Bye beautiful," before sitting down.  
  
"That must be nice." Nicole said to them.  
  
"Huh? What is?" Lily asked, returning her focus to her friends.  
  
"Affection." She said. They nodded.  
  
"Yea." Diana said. There is a pause. "Oh well" she said, and smirked at them.  
  
As James sat down Sirius glared at him.  
  
"What?" he asked, annoyed.  
  
"Nothing." He said.  
  
"Listen I know she's a Slytherin but..." James started.  
  
"Forget it Prongs, I don't care." He replied, and then proceeded to change the subject. "So Moony, ask out Portman yet?" he asked, shoving a piece of food into his mouth.  
  
Remus tensed up a bit. "Um, well...no."  
  
James huffed. "Well why not? It is so obvious that you two are into each other."  
  
"I don't know. She's just too...too-"  
  
"If you say perfect I just might vomit on you." Sirius spat.  
  
"Just do it Moony. She'll say yes. I guarantee it. Why don't you hurry up, she is getting up from the table now." James said, cocking his head towards the girls. Nicole waved at Lily and Diana. She was about to head up to the common room to finish her homework. Diana and Lily had detention so they didn't follow. They simply smiled and waved her off before resuming their meals.  
  
"I don't know, not now-" Remus was extremely nervous.  
  
"If you don't do it now, I will, and that's a promise." Sirius said, making up his mind.  
  
Remus let out a nervous grunt. "Ugh, fine." He reluctantly said.  
  
"Quick, your letting her get away." James remarked. Sirius chuckled. Remus stuffed his hands in his pockets and proceeded to go to the common room. It was now or never, he thought.  
  
Nicole was curled up on the couch, concentrating hard on her Charms homework. There was no one in there. They were all at dinner. She liked the peace and quiet. Then she heard the door opened, and she smiled secretly when she saw who it was.  
  
She could hear his footsteps over her concentration. He stopped in front of her.  
  
"H-Hey Nicole." He said, trying to sound cheerful.  
  
"Oh, hi Remus." She sweetly said. "What are you doing up here?"  
  
"Well, um, I thought.. could I talk to you for a minute?" he asked, a little jittery.  
  
"Sure. About what?" she asked him, closing her books and staring into his kind, sea-blue eyes.  
  
"Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but, um.. well...what I'm trying to say to you is, that I've always noticed you." He spoke, fumbling his words.  
  
"Really?" she said shyly.  
  
"Yea. And I was just wondering, well, if you would, I mean, if you want to.." He sighed. "Will you go to the ball with me?" he spit out.  
  
She was blushing fervently and took no trouble trying to hide it. She chuckled a bit out of nervousness and he took it the wrong way.  
  
"It's ok. I'm sorry I bothered you. I.I'm going to go." He said, incredibly embarrassed. He was just about to curse James and Sirius when...  
  
"Wait, no!" she said, a little too loudly. He stopped.  
  
"I would love to go with you Remus. Really, I would love to." She said, boosting his confidence tremendously.  
  
"Seriously?" he said, dumfounded.  
  
"Yes. I've uh, been wanting you to ask me, for years, actually." She admitted. He just had the biggest grin she had ever seen.  
  
"Wow, great. I can't believe that. So, I guess I'll pick you up, on Friday, at like 7:30?"  
  
"Perfect." She said, and blushed again.  
  
"Alright." He answered and ran out of the common room as fast as he could. He couldn't wait to see James and Sirius to tell them. He was halfway down the hall when he realized they would be going to detention soon. He didn't think Peter would appreciate the news as much as they would. No matter, he thought, and went to the library to get a jump-start on his work. He had such a surge of energy it was indescribable.  
  
*~"Alright. Lets go to detention." Sirius sighed, still in the Great Hall.  
  
"Yea. Say, how's Evans been lately?" James asked as he got up.  
  
"Uh, fine I guess. She is certainly less vile than usual." He said, eyeing James strangely. "And you care because?"  
  
"Just curious mate. You really have to do something about that bug up your behind, I'm really not liking it." James said.  
  
"Yea, well, me neither." He said, grabbing his jacket. "I don't know what the hell is wrong with me lately."  
  
"Perhaps I'll send Renton over tonight to help you remove it." James laughed. Diana and James have actually come to the realization that they could tolerate one another. They got along fairly well during detention, lately.  
  
"Please. Renton will only make it worse." He said, all too seriously. James rolled his eyes and began to walk towards the girls. "Later Peter." They both said, but he wasn't really paying attention. He had been silent the entire time.  
  
"Hey, Padfoot, come to think of it, you haven't had one date all year. I think these girls are getting restless. What's up with that?"  
  
"I just haven't felt like it that's all."  
  
"It's not like you." James said.  
  
"I know." He said as they reached the girl's table.  
  
"Hi Potter." Diana casually said as she looked up. He nodded.  
  
"Ready?" he asked. She nodded and got up. She smiled flakily at Sirius as she pushed passed him. James followed.  
  
"Let's go Evans." Sirius said.  
  
"Right." She replied and hopped over the bench. They walked to the kitchen in silence. It was habit by now. They quietly walked passed the house elves, who nodded and smiled at them. They smiled back.  
  
One by one Sirius handed the dishes to her and she dried them. After a while this was getting incredibly boring. Lily began to stare at him quizzically.  
  
"God Sirius, what is with you lately?" she asked as he threw a dish over her onto the pile. He just sighed at her.  
  
"I wish you all would stop asking me that." He said.  
  
"Do you even know?" she asked, confused.  
  
"I have an idea." He replied as they switched places.  
  
"Is it..a girl?" she playfully asked him. Then she laughed at herself. "I'm sorry. Sirius Black pining over a girl. That's not possible." She corrected herself. He reluctantly chuckled.  
  
"Not me." He answered as he smiled sarcastically at her. She smirked.  
  
"Can I ask you a question? Now don't freak out I just want a man's perspective." She cautioned.  
  
"So I'm a man now? Ok. What can I help you with Evans?" he asked, yawning.  
  
"It's about Diana." He groaned at this comment. "Now I know that you two haven't made up. In fact I think it's getting worse. But, anyway, as a man, how far would you go, exactly, to get a girl?"  
  
"Where is this coming from?" he asked.  
  
"Well I don't know if you've noticed, but she seems to be a bit taken with Malfoy. I have no idea why, but I feel that he is trying a little too forcefully to be with her. I don't feel she's thinking clearly. And I would just like to know, if it were you, given your history, what would you do?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.  
  
"So what would I do if I wanted Renton? And I were really horrible for her and she is making a huge mistake being with me, but I refuse to let her go and eventually manipulate her?"  
  
"Well don't go that far, Jesus. But in a nutshell yea." She said plainly.  
  
"Well, I would get her to trust me first, and like me. Considering there is sexual chemistry, and she is probably willing, despite my horrid personality, I would go for it."  
  
"Would you try to change her?"  
  
"I don't know Lily I'm not Malfoy!" he spat.  
  
"This is true." She said, thinking deeply. "It is bothersome to me, that's all."  
  
"I understand." He said.  
  
"Did Potter tell you anything? Well since they're in detention together and everything."  
  
He shook his head. "A bit, nothing much. Just incessant flirting that's all." He said, scratching his head.  
  
"Oh. What's up with him and Narcissa?" she asked, trying not to sound too curious.  
  
"They're dating. It's official." He blurted.  
  
"Oh. I figured as much." She said, casually, even though she could feel herself twitching. "Hey, is she related to you?"  
  
"Sort of." Sirius said, dismissing the thought. "So you really think she goes for that type huh?" he asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Who?" Lily asked.  
  
"Dia..Renton." he corrected himself.  
  
"She doesn't have a type." Lily said, and then she looked up. "Hold on." She turned to him. "Since when do you care?" she said, turning her head to the side. "You hate her."  
  
"I don't know Evans." He said nervously. She put down one of the towels she was holding.  
  
"Don't know if you care or if you hate her?" she pointed at him.  
  
"I don't know." He said throwing his hands up in the air. Lily paused. Her mouth wide open.  
  
"I don't believe it." she said, defiantly. "You? Diana? It's just not plausible. You..like her? Like that?" she asked still in shock.  
  
"I.. I can't believe I'm telling you this. I...don't know." He said, shaking his head. He realized the reason as well. Lily made him see it a little clearer.  
  
"Well either you do or you don't Black. Oh my God, oh my God. I think hell just froze over."  
  
"Don't joke. Believe me it's not fun. What's strange is, that I still can't stand to be around her, but when I'm not..."  
  
"Sirius. You're having a nervous breakdown." She said carefully. "This isn't you."  
  
"That's what I'm afraid of." He said, under his breath. She still heard.  
  
What they both didn't realize was, at that moment Sirius and Lily became closer. He confided in her, for reasons unknown to both of them. He didn't know why he had been so unpleasant until he heard about Diana and Lucius. He couldn't understand why he cared, but he did. It wasn't just the fact that he was a Slytherin, or a Malfoy. But that he knew it was bad for her, and he caught himself thinking that it wasn't him. He shuddered at the thought until he realized Lily didn't like it either.  
  
They finished the dishes in silence, neither of them wanting to continue the conversation. The silence was comfortable, however. They didn't dwell on anything. A shiver of jealousy ran through both of them as they both thought of their respective friends in the Slytherin common room. It was taking them awfully long to clean that particular common room, the one they had previously complained about. Their expressions soured at the thought. They didn't know it at the time but they both had a common misfortune, and they both denied it.  
  
"Listen, Lily." He began, as they were about to leave. "Best not tell anyone about this alright? It's just between you and me ok?" he said, asking for her word.  
  
"I promise Sirius, but please, lighten up. After a while it might start to get obvious, and then where would your reputation be?" she half smiled at him, and he returned it.  
  
"Very true, Evans.very true."  
  
***(I know, terribly rushed, yet exceedingly long. I am so sorry that it took so long but school has been up my ass for the past week! And yes I am well aware that nothing major happens here. I am also aware that the Lily/Snape conversation was completely pointless, but I had to make them speak eventually. Next chapter is the ball, and all the crazy shit that happens after. And Read and Review! You guys are really the best ever! I can't thank you enough!)*** 


	11. Its Just a Game:Slytherin vs Gryffindor

Disclaimer: see previous chapters. WOW! Can I just say that? WOW, you guys, I don't even know what to say. I guess a simple thank you would do just fine! Thanks soooooo much! We made it past 120!!!!!! Yeah!!!!! I am seriously so happy you all have no idea! I love all you guys! I couldn't ask for better readers! Ok, I'll stop now...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~* September 19, the morning of the ball...  
  
Diana and Lily heard an impatient knock on their bedroom door. Diana chose to ignore it but Lily jumped up out of her dreamless sleep. Then she looked at the clock. It read 4:30 am. Lily groaned, then she heard the knock again.  
  
"Evans!! Renton!!" It was James. She couldn't figure out what he could possibly want.  
  
She got up slowly and walked over to the door in a drowsy, unpleasant mood. The incessant knocking continued. She opened the door quickly and forcefully.  
  
"What!" She said, in a groggy, raspy whisper. James was wide awake and leaning against the doorframe.  
  
"We have a game today Evans." He said. He had a look on his face of nervousness and excitement. "How could you not be up?"  
  
"Huh? It's four thirty in the morning! It's still dark for heaven's sake!" she yelled, her voice clearer.  
  
"Yea, and?" he said, folding his arms. He clearly didn't get why she was making such a fuss.  
  
"Are you insane? Well, clearly you must be." She said, slamming her hand about two inches away from his head. "Did you wake me up to tell me that?"  
  
"No." he snorted. "We need to practice. Get your robes."  
  
"Are you fucking kidding me?" They heard Diana say. "I've only been sleeping for two hours." She whined.  
  
"Not my problem Renton." James said, unfeeling. "Now get up, everyone else is already on the field. We HAVE to win today, do you understand that?"  
  
"Listen, Potter. Us practicing this early is not going to make one bit of difference whether we beat Slytherin or not. You're just going to tire us out." Diana said, yawning and getting out of bed.  
  
"She's right. Don't you think you're taking this a bit far?" Lily asked.  
  
"Oh, I'll wait for you. We don't have to start until 5." He said, thinking he was helping. What he got in return were two angry glares. Lily was speechless at his ignorance, but then he smiled at her, and she buckled.  
  
"Fine." She said.  
  
"What?" Diana asked, dumfounded at how quickly she gave in. Lily shushed her.  
  
"We'll be ready in five minutes." Lily said. "Just, wait outside." She said, closing the door.  
  
Diana huffed and then pointed to the door. Lily held her hand up to silence her, as she got ready. Diana shook her head and started muttering under her breath. She was very unpleasant in the morning, especially after such a rude awakening. Lily got dressed quickly and grabbed her robes, and her new Silver Arrow that Diana's mother had sent her.  
  
"Hurry up." She told Diana as she opened the door. Diana nodded as she watched her join James in the hall.  
  
"Ready?" he said, crouched on the floor.  
  
"Mmm hmm." She said. As he got up he leant out his arm to her. She found this amusing.  
  
"Chivalrous." She said, sarcastically.  
  
"Oh sorry. For a minute there I thought you were a girl. My mistake." He said, shoving his hand in his pocket.  
  
"Hey. No, it's just that I can make it to the field without your assistance." She said, walking ahead.  
  
He caught up with her and they walked down to the field together, side-by- side, and speaking of nothing. When they got to the field everyone was there, and exhausted. Katrina was asleep on the benches while Frank was leaning against his broom. Sirius was sitting on the ground with his arms folded; his chin was perched on his fist.  
  
"Alright you lot! Let's get to it." he said, annoyingly energetic. In about a minute they could see Diana running with her robes on carrying her broom. She was panting when she got to the field. James nodded when he saw her and they spent the next two hours practicing every defense in the book.  
  
By 7:00 am they were all exhausted more than they were to begin with, and now they were achy. They shuffled to breakfast and plopped down on the benches, still in their playing robes.  
  
Remus, Nicole and Peter came down and sat beside them, yawning.  
  
"I am so tired." Peter said, rubbing his eyes. They all just looked at him, even Remus, with annoyed looks on their faces.  
  
"You just woke up. We have been up for hours." Katrina spat, trying desperately to concentrate on her cold cereal.  
  
"Coffee." Diana said, running her hand through her hair.  
  
"I second that." Lily said, yawning.  
  
"I'd like some." James agreed. They all looked at Sirius, who was buttering a roll.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"Get us coffee." Diana ordered.  
  
"Hell no, get it yourself." He answered. "It's all the way on the other side of the table."  
  
"Please?" Diana exhaustedly asked.  
  
"Pretty please?" Lily asked, smirking.  
  
Sirius glared at her. "Oh alright." He got up and walked to where most of the second years were sitting. He grabbed a few cups and they watched him pour coffee into them. There was milk, honey and sugar where they were sitting. Somehow, he managed to carry all the cups in one trip. He handed them to everyone, and they looked eager to receive them.  
  
"I don't know how you guys take it so-" he began.  
  
"No, Black's fine." Diana said. "Just the way I like it." she said, not looking at him. Lily looked at him briefly, but he ignored it and resumed eating. Then, without anyone realizing it someone walked over to their table and tapped Diana on the shoulder. She jolted, but smiled at the site that met her.  
  
"Good morning Renton." Lucius said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She blushed.  
  
"Good morning Lucius. What can I do for you?" she flirtingly said.  
  
"Well, I was just wondering if you had any plans for this evening. Tonight is the ball after all, and I was curious if you had an escort."  
  
She turned fully around to answer him.  
  
"Well, no." she said, crossing her legs.  
  
"Would you like one?" he asked, smiling.  
  
She pretended to think. "Hmm. I don't know. I planned on going alone tonight. I don't want any obligations." She whispered.  
  
"Understandable." He said, not losing his demeanor in the slightest. "I wouldn't want to force you to do anything. Splendid. I take it I will see you there then?" he inquired.  
  
"Certainly." She replied.  
  
"Alright, see you around." He sexily stated, and walked away casually. Then she swooped around and continued to eat.  
  
"What was that?" Lily asked, playing dumb.  
  
Diana smirked. "Nothing."  
  
"Oh look Padfoot, Renton's in love." James joked, and started laughing. Diana reached across Lily and playfully slapped him.  
  
"Ow, harshness." James answered, pretending to be hurt.  
  
"Stop it you two." Lily said. "So, is he going to 'see more of you'?" she asked.  
  
Sirius coughed. "Um, bless you?" Diana questioned. "And I don't know Lil. He's just so.. so, charming, and a little mysterious. I just like him, a lot, and I don't care what any of you say. He's not really like that-"  
  
Sirius cut her off by grunting and then chuckling. She glared at him and folded her arms.  
  
"Do you have something to say to me?" she asked staring until he would look up.  
  
"Nope." he said, still not looking at her.  
  
"Bullshit. Spit it out, I can take whatever mundane comments you throw at me. I am impervious to your criticism." She said, getting defensive.  
  
"My don't we have a vocabulary when we're angry." He said, condescendingly.  
  
"You know what, forget it. I am just, so tired, so tired of this. Why can't you just, for once, be a decent human being?"  
  
"What?" he asked, confused by her change in mood.  
  
"Never mind let's drop it. You make me physically ill." She said, taking a sip of her coffee. Lily and James looked at each other, pity in their eyes. Sirius got up from the table abruptly and walked out. No one followed; they wouldn't know what to say if they did.  
  
"Diana.." Lily said. "That was mean."  
  
"Don't talk to me." She said. "He had the audacity...forget it." then she too got up and ran upstairs. Lily and James were next to each other, close but not noticing.  
  
Nicole was next to Remus and he actually put his arm around her shoulder. She had let him. They were no longer shy. Even the past few days had brought them closer, since they both knew their feelings of attraction were mutual.  
  
When Lily and James noticed their closeness, they let out nervous laughs and Lily pushed herself away. Breakfast had ended and they each went to their respective classes. Remus, Nicole and Peter went to Divination while Lily and James walked to Aritmancy together. Professor Vector gave them a free period in honor of the Quidditch match and Ball that evening. James had pulled up his desk next to Lily's to talk more about the game.  
  
"So what we're going to do is-" James enthusiastically started.  
  
"Potter." Lily sighed. "Relax."  
  
He laughed. "No. I want to discuss it again." He childishly commanded.  
  
"Don't you think we have talked about it enough?" she asked, chuckling at his mannerisms. He is so cute when he's impatient, she thought. Then she shook her head. Stop it Lily, she thought.  
  
He smiled. "I guess." He said, pretending to be disappointed. "Listen, I can't tell you how great it is to have to and Diana on the team." He said.  
  
"Wow, that's a nice thing to say. I never thought I would say that about you Potter." She chuckled.  
  
"I know. You know what Evans?"  
  
"What?" she asked, curiously.  
  
"You're not as vile as I thought you were." He spit out, slightly against his will.  
  
"And you're not as pretentious as I thought you were." She said, looking down.  
  
"Well thank you. So I guess I'm not an asshole huh?" he joked.  
  
"Well...I guess you've thawed. So am I still an ugly whore? That was always a favorite of yours." She quipped back.  
  
"No. Definitely not." He said, smiling. Oh my god, am I flirting with her? He asked himself.  
  
"So." she began trying to end the awkward silence. "Um, how's.Narcissa?" Great job, Lily, bring up the girlfriend, she scolded herself.  
  
"Oh, um." James thought. He had completely forgotten about her. He was so preoccupied with Quidditch and classes..and...Lily? He couldn't believe it but he had actually dedicated precious thinking moments to her, and he was shocked at himself.  
  
"She's ..uh.good." he blurted out. She nodded. Then the bell rang, after what seemed like five seconds of class. They were each sorry it ended, and they sort of didn't want to leave.  
  
"Well um." James began, getting up.  
  
"I'll see you this afternoon at the game." She said, lightheartedly.  
  
"Right." He said, smiled and left the room. When he was out of sight Lily grabbed her hair in frustration and let out a loud sigh. Damn him, she thought. Damn him for his silent torture methods. She acknowledged then that she had a bit of a crush on him and she was profoundly disappointed in herself. I'm just like one of them, she thought. Those brainless twits, those shallow tramps, she was in league with them, and she hated it.  
  
Classes were a blur for James. For some reason unknown to him he couldn't seem to concentrate on anything. Well, his attention was easily distracted, especially in Potions. He was staring at Lily every minute, and trying not to make it too obvious. He ignored Narcissa, who seemed boggled by his behavior. She's just so pretty, James thought. Why haven't I noticed before? He also noticed she had grace and poise. This was mostly from Quidditch, however. She was a great flyer.  
  
Finally the game commenced at 3:30 in the afternoon. The entire school was excited and the players, especially the Gryffindors were increasingly nervous. They had practiced hard and hoped it would pay off. James was pacing back and forth until the five-minute call.  
  
"Ok guys, ladies. We are going to go out there and kick some serious ass. You ready?" James said, trying desperately to convince he as well as the team that they were unstoppable. It was his first year being captain, and his first game, so he was a little jumpy.  
  
They flew out onto the field as their names were being called. Thaddeus Jordan announced all the players. James, of course, got the most applause.  
  
They gathered around each other, the Slytherin team announced as well. Then Madame Hooch proceeded to the middle of the field to referee.  
  
"Alright! Malfoy, Potter! Shake hands!" she said briskly. Malfoy was the Slytherin captain, and it disgusted them both that they had to engage in even the slightest physical contact. They did it quickly without looking at one another.  
  
"Good enough." She said, satisfied. "Now! Mount your brooms and on the sound of my whistle..three-two-one!"  
  
The players of Slytherin and Gryffindor shot up into the air and circled swiftly around the field. The crowed cheered with excitement as the Quaffle was released. Jordan announced the commentary:  
  
"The Quaffle is released with Gryffindor immediately in possession. Lily Evans has grabbed it strait away without, it seems, a moment's hesitation. She is speeding towards the goal posts with incredible determination. But- oh no-Warrington and Flint are on her tail-they're gaining from both sides and----OH!" he flinched. "Lily Evans has been rammed hard by the Slytherins, but she hasn't dropped the Quaffle. She's alright!"  
  
There is an uproar coming from the crowd as she straitened herself on her broom.  
  
"There she goes! Faster and faster towards the keeper! She is circling him with excellent speed. He looks dizzy. She swoops past him and-YES!! TEN- ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
Lily circled and saw the team punch the air with excitement.  
  
"Slytherin in possession, keeper Goyle passes the Quaffle to Malfoy. He is almost there, swerving, left, and right-Yes! Excellent Bludger work by Frank Longbottom, Malfoy drops the Quaffle and it is incercepted by James Potter! Come on Potter!" he cheered, the crowed going wild for their captain. "James Potter successfully swerves past Warrington, looking good- WHAM! Oh no!" A Bludger had run past James' head and startled him, causing him to drop the Quaffle. "Wait, yes! Caught by Evans! She and Potter speed towards the opposite side and-joined by Spinnet-WOW! They seem to be forming an arrow, heading strait for Goyle. Evans throws to Potter and EXCELLENT!! TWENTY TO ZERO GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
Another roar from the crowd erupts as the game continues. Lily blocked Jordan's commentary out of her mind during the game, for it was quite distracting. The only thought that was going through her mind was speed, agility, bludger, quaffle, keeper, go! She and James worked brilliantly together, passing and distracting the opposing players. Her eyes were glued to the Quaffle, and by the end of a half hour the score was fifty to zero Gryffindor. She was tired, they all were.  
  
Diana exercised the finest keeper techniques while never losing sight for a second. She was a machine, a wall. She could see the trickles of sweat forming on the frustrated brows of the Slytherins, and she relished it.  
  
Malfoy was embarrassed by his team's lack of scoring ability. He was so horrified at one instance where she had caused another chaser to smack strait into a goal post that he grabbed a beater's mallet and hit a bludger strait at Diana. She dodged it, luckily, only to have the infuriated Sirius Black smack it right back at him. to his distress it hit another chaser, Derrick.  
  
The crowd booed the Slytherins but cheered Black as they saw the chaser fall of his broom.  
  
The other Gryffindors were shouting obscenities at the Slytherins and protesting that the point shouldn't count.  
  
"That's cheating!" Katrina yelled, pointing at Malfoy. The game was temporarily halted as Madame Hooch took to the field.  
  
"Quiet!" she yelled although no one listened. "Malfoy, stick to your position, and Black, keep your eye on the game!" they both shrugged it off and the Quaffle was put back into play. The point counted, regardless.  
  
While Katrina listened intently to Jordan's commentary, she spotted the snitch on the far end of the filed, in between the left and center Slytherin goal posts. Without a thought she shot through the air towards it. Not more than five seconds went by when Montague, the Slytherin seeker was on her tail and gaining rapid speed. When she was almost there the snitch flew off, south at first then swerving left towards the crowd. They followed it, each trying to knock the other out of the way. Jordan's commentary was muffled but the rest of the team continued to handle the Quaffle, though they were aware.  
  
This cat and mouse game was dragging and Katrina felt they weren't getting anywhere. Once the snitch seemed to be out of sight for both of them, she hurled toward the ground with breathtaking speed, hoping Montague would follow. He did, for he had thought she saw the snitch. It was merely a distraction because she saw the snitch above Diana's head but she took no notice. It was none of her concern after all. While Montague still searched below she hurdled towards Diana and grabbed the snitch inches above her head. Diana almost fell off her broom. She was so startled. Then she saw the snitch and high fived her in triumph.  
  
"GRYFFINDOR WINS!!!!" shouted an ecstatic Jordan as the roar became almost deafening to the players on the field. "Katrina Miles does an absolutely superb rendition of the Wronski Feint and Gryffindor wins the game at two hundred points to ten!" Jordan commented.  
  
All of the Gryffindor players flew down in a daze, unable to wipe the smiles off their faces. Lily spotted Remus, Nicole and Peter in the stands and waved to them while they were jumping up and down in excitement.  
  
Madame Hooch and McGonagall was congratulating James while the rest of the team went upstairs to the common room. There they were net with more cheers and pats on the back. The girls and boys spent a good twenty minutes talking to the other, eager students of the common room. James entered, some minutes later, energized and excited. He received cries of worship from the underclassmen as he walked over to his team.  
  
"That was fantastic!" he yelled. "Honestly, everything I wanted, happened it was bloody amazing!" then he grabbed Lily and Diana, and actually hugged them as tightly as he could.  
  
"Girls, girls!" he cried, laughing. "Wonderful, perfect, sublime! I could kiss you both right now-"  
  
"Alright Prongs, calm down a bit would you." Sirius chuckled. He too, had end of the match fever.  
  
"Oh shut up Padfoot. How could you not fall in love with these girls? They are hard and ruthless, and aren't afraid to beat the crap out of anything!"  
  
"Yes, because that's what makes them truly feminine." Frank said, laughing.  
  
"You know, I don't care what you just said Frank and do you know why?" James said. There is a pause. "Because we won! We won!" James said, dancing like a fool. "Now if you all would excuse me, I have to take a shower." He announced, running up the stairs to the prefect's bathroom. When he left they all erupted into a roar of laughter. Lily and Diana were clutching her stomachs.  
  
"Hey Lil, I'm going to start getting ready ok?" Diana said, tearing up and out of breath.  
  
"Alright, I'll be up in a minute." She said, in between chuckles. Diana skipped up the stairs and shut the door to their dorm. Frank went up too, because Sarah had rushed in and dragged him upstairs. Katrina was talking to Spinnet, and Lily and Sirius were left.  
  
"See you tonight Black." She said, unusually chipper.  
  
"Wait Evans, hold on." He said.  
  
"Yep." She said, turning around. He motioned her closer. She shot him a strange look and walked toward him. "What is it?"  
  
"I need to ask you something?" he whispered.  
  
"Alright." She replied, folding her arms.  
  
"I don't have a date tonight." He said, really quickly.  
  
"Is that a question?" she couldn't quite hear him.  
  
"Listen. I don't have a date tonight for the ball. Go with me." He said, but was stopped by Lily's sudden laughter.  
  
"Are you kidding?" she asked, clutching her stomach once more. He sighed.  
  
"Forget it." he said and proceeded to walk away.  
  
"Hold on." Lily said, restraining herself. "Why the hell would you ask me that?"  
  
"Because I know you don't have a date either." He said with an attitude.  
  
"You don't have to snap at me, I know this." She answered, defensively. "Why don't you ask someone else, Black, because I'm not going to sleep with you-"  
  
"No! Eww I don't want to sleep with you!" he shot back.  
  
"Thanks." She said, a tad insulted.  
  
"That's not what I meant." He tried correcting himself. She was about to walk away when he pulled her back. "Listen. It's just that, well, like you said I have to keep up my reputation. And I think it would help us both if we went together."  
  
"What, like business partners?" she laughed. "And how would me going with you help me in the least?"  
  
"I think you know." He blurted.  
  
"Excuse me. Know what?" she raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
"What's written all over your face. I'm surprised no one else has noticed." He nonchalantly said.  
  
"Noticed what?" She was losing her patience.  
  
"Oh nothing." He smirked, and began walking towards his dorm. She was left perplexed standing there. Then at the bottom of the stairs he turned around. "It's just that, well." he lowered his voice and she had to walk over. "You really should pay more attention to your facial expressions, especially with James around." He said, and she widened her eyes at him in surprise.  
  
"Bastard." Was all she could say. She was at a loss for words.  
  
"And goodbye to you too Lily." He said, chuckling to himself. "I'll pick you up at eight!" he said, enthusiastically. She was running over a million things to say in her head but nothing came out. She simply huffed and ran upstairs.  
  
"Is that a yes?" he called to her, she stopped at the top and turned.  
  
"Fine!" she mouthed and walked annoyed and frustrated to her room. She threw open the door and slammed it shut.  
  
*(Yea I know I said this would be that ball but I and to get the game in and it was getting too long. The ball will be updated tomorrow so that I don't' have 30 page chapters. Just hold tight, its only 24 hours. It is mostly written already anyway. And again, thank you, thank you! :) 


	12. A Pain in the Ass Called Jealousy

Disclaimer: see previous chapters.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Whoa what's with you?" Diana asked as Lily slammed the door to their dorm. She was putting on her makeup and fiddling with her hair.  
  
"Nothing." Lily said, dismissing her. Sirius had pissed her off royally, but she had to acknowledge that he had a point.  
  
"Who's taking you tonight? Anyone?" Diana asked, turning to face her.  
  
"Uh."Lily reluctantly began. "Yes." She pulled her robes off over her head and threw them to the side.  
  
"Really? Who?" Diana asked curiously. "How come you never told me?"  
  
"Well, it's really not important." Lily was hoping to avoid this, at least until later.  
  
"C'mon, I'm your best friend. Is he really that horrible?" she said, chuckling.  
  
Lily shook her head. "Nope." One-word answers, Lily thought.  
  
"So then what's the problem?" She said, plopping down on her bed.  
  
"I'll be honest, you're not going to like it." Lily warned. Diana looked at her quizzically. Well, she's going to find out anyway, Lily figured. "Black." She spit out.  
  
Diana's expression changed drastically. She opened her mouth widely in surprise and disgust.  
  
"Black? Sirius Black? The Devil? Are you mad?" She was flabbergasted. "How could you do that to me?"  
  
"You? I'm not doing anything to you, and he is not the devil." Lily said.  
  
"He HATES me Lily!" She paused. "Wait a minute. Not the devil? Is he the one you fancy? Because if it is-"  
  
"No, no, no." Lily corrected. "Nothing like that. He just asked me, that's all."  
  
"He asked you? Just like that? Why would he do such a thing, and furthermore why would you accept?" Diana didn't like this at all.  
  
"Don't you think you are overreacting just a little? All we're doing is showing up together. I'm doing him a favor." She blurted out, and when she did she regretted it.  
  
"Favor? Since when does Black need any favors from you? You don't know what his intentions are." Diana pointed out.  
  
"I'm not worried." Lily casually remarked. She walked over and started rummaging through her closet, and was frustrated when she immediately found nothing.  
  
"Well when did he ask you?" Diana wondered.  
  
"Just now, downstairs."  
  
"Now? Well that seems a tad last minute." Diana was suspicious. It wasn't like Lily to accept a date like that, let alone from a man like that.  
  
"Can we put this on hold? I really have to get ready." Lily really wanted to end this conversation, and she did it a bit rudely. She was also thinking about what the hell she was going to wear.  
  
Diana gave her the dirtiest look. "Sure, whatever. Why don't you have sex with him while you're at it, since you seem to be in such a giving mood."  
  
"Ok." Lily said, dismissing her. She walked over to Diana's closet and pulled out the first thing she saw. That'll do, she thought and proceeded to change into it.  
  
Now they were angry at each other. Diana was being a real bitch, and Lily didn't appreciate it. Plus she knew her intentions with Malfoy. "Hypocrite." She muttered under her breath. Diana didn't hear. She was on her way to the prefect's bathroom. On her way there she ran into James who was on the way back to his dorm.  
  
"Renton." He said, passing. He gave a nod.  
  
She returned it. "Potter." She stopped. "Hey hold on." She said. He turned around.  
  
"Tell that friend of yours that if he so much as lays one hand on her I'll kill him." she said, very nonchalantly. He was a little confused.  
  
"Huh? What are you talking about?" He asked.  
  
"Oh don't you know? Black's taking Lily to the Ball." She said with a bit of an attitude, as if she still couldn't believe she said yes.  
  
"Are you kidding? Why?" he replied. A feeling came over James that he had never felt before. Normally he didn't care who Sirius took out or why, but Evans? Why her? He immediately thought.  
  
"That's what I said. Something about a favor, I don't know. But I mean it Potter, I don't want him to fuck her up, do you hear? I know what he's like."  
  
"Ok, um, sure I guess. I'll be sure to let him know." James walked away with a perplexed expression on his face. Jealousy. That's what it was. He was jealous that his best friend was dating the woman who, only a month ago, was the most horrid woman in all of Britain. He opened the door quickly. Sirius was changing his clothes.  
  
"What's this I hear about you taking Evans tonight?" he asked, with his hands on his hips.  
  
"Damn shit spreads fast around here." He smirked. "You said I needed to date more Prongs, so that's what I'm doing." He said, buttoning his shirt.  
  
"But why her?" he asked.  
  
"Why not her?" Sirius shot back, curious as to why James seemed so enraged.  
  
James was at a loss for words. "Um, well, I don't know." He feebly answered.  
  
"Sure you don't." he said, laughing to himself. "Listen, I happen to like her." Sirius said. James' mouth gaped open. "Now hold on, not like that. She's not that bad, and I don't know if you have noticed, but, she's very pretty."  
  
James sighed. "Yea I know, I've noticed. It doesn't bother me, I was just a little surprised that's all." He lied. Sirius gave him a knowing look that told him how full of shit he was.  
  
"I understand. But hurry up and get ready. We're meeting the girls at eight, and it's seven thirty now." Just then Remus rushed into their room, flushed and in a hurry.  
  
"Oh my God." He said, out of breath.  
  
"You ok Moony?" James asked, with a silly smirk on his face.  
  
"No!" he shot back. "I'm meeting Nicole now, as in, right this second and I'm freaking out!"  
  
"Whoa, calm down mate." Sirius said. "It'll be great. She likes you, a lot, and besides the rest of the girls are coming down at eight, so you've got time."  
  
"Right. But what if she takes one look at me and runs back upstairs?" he asked them, practically shaking.  
  
"Now you're just talking crazy Moony. She sees you every day, and you two looked pretty cozy at breakfast today. You are totally overeating. Besides, you happen to be a very good-looking chap. Sirius and I wouldn't hang out with a troll, now would we?" James said, calming him down.  
  
"No, just a wolf." He said, shaking his head. He was still nervous.  
  
"Remus, don't talk like that. That is not who you are, do you understand?" Sirius said. "And she doesn't have to know. We'll never breathe a word to her."  
  
"What happens when she finds out?" he asked, then the door was thrown open again. It was Peter. He was dressed and ready, and was checking up on them.  
  
"Guys, it's 7:35, the girls are almost ready." Peter said, pointing at his watch.  
  
"Thanks Wormtail." James said. "We'll be out soon."  
  
Peter nodded and shut their door.  
  
"Alright. Prongs, finish getting ready. I don't wasn't us to be late because of you." Sirius said.  
  
"Yea, yea." He said.  
  
James finished getting ready fifteen minutes later. He, Sirius, Remus and Peter made their way to the common room. They were all dressed up, looking sharp and extremely confident.  
  
"Hey Peter, who are you taking?" James asked.  
  
"Oh, Katrina." Peter answered.  
  
"Really now, well way to go!" Sirius said, punching his arm.  
  
They were talking when the girls appeared at the top of the stairs.  
  
"Ahem!" Lily coughed, and they looked up. Lily was wearing a black dress, informal because dress robes were not needed. They were allowed Muggle dress clothes. Her hair hung down, strait with a simple clip tying half of it back. She caught James' eye and smiled. Then she remembered that Sirius was her date, but he was too busy staring at someone else.  
  
Diana was next to her, in a dark red dress, which hugged her curves. It was a halter, but not slutty in the least. Her hair was loose and extremely wavy, and cascaded down her back. Her lips were red, and her eyes appeared large and scintillatingly seductive. But there was no one to meet her at the bottom of those stairs.  
  
Nicole was next to her in a blue dress that came to her knees. It had no sleeves and accentuated her shoulders. Her hair was up in a French twist. She wasn't wearing blush, but her cheeks were certainly red. Remus, to say the least, was far from disappointed.  
  
At the far left was Katrina, who was wearing a long, dark green dress. It was simple but elegant. They each walked down the stairs to their respective dates.  
  
"Um, Potter?" Diana asked, when she saw him still standing there.  
  
"Yea?"  
  
"Don't you have somewhere to go?" she politely asked. "Pick up your girlfriend perhaps?" She tried to keep from laughing. The thought suddenly hit him.  
  
"Oh, shit, right. Um, see you all downstairs." He said and ran out of the common room. The girls sniggered, then Lily turned her attention to Sirius.  
  
"Strapping." She said as he leant out his arm.  
  
"Still angry?" he asked.  
  
"I suppose not." She sighed playfully.  
  
"You look beautiful." He said, and he meant it.  
  
"Do they teach you to say those things or do you come up with them all by yourself?" she jokingly wondered.  
  
"That's cute." He said, sarcastically.  
  
"Thank you." She simply replied. "I can be when I want to." She noticed Sirius staring at Diana again, who was talking with Katrina and Peter. They walked out of the common room together, for Diana chose to give the silent treatment to Lily when she was with Sirius.  
  
She nudged him and he looked at her. Lily just shook her head. "Let's go." She said, and he nodded. They walked into the Great Hall to find it brilliantly decorated with neutral colors and candles. Music was playing already, and some people were dancing on the floor. There were tables on both sides that served punch and finger foods.  
  
"By the way I like that dress." He complimented, surveying her.  
  
"I knew you would." She said.  
  
"Oh really? And why is that?" he wondered.  
  
"It's Diana's." she said, as they sat down, a cocky expression spread across her face. He gave her a glare that said how not amused he truly was.  
  
They were at a table with Diana, Nicole and Remus, Peter and Katrina, James and Narcissa, and Frank and Sarah. They all were in mid conversation when Dumbledore stood up.  
  
"Welcome students! This is an event to officially start the year. You are all at least half way through your school careers and I see you all getting older and more mature every day. It makes me proud to be your headmaster. But, sentiments aside, have a wonderful time, enjoy the food, and behave yourselves! Good evening." He spoke. They all clapped and then the music started up again. "Oh and a congratulations to the Gryffindor House Team for winning the first Quidditch match of the season!" All the Gryffindors roared loudly. Diana stood up and yelled like a madwoman.  
  
As Lily was talking to Sirius she couldn't help it but her eyes started to wander. She was secretly looking for James but he had gotten up to get some punch. Narcissa was alone, and looking around at the faces of the Gryffindors. She couldn't understand why she was stuck being a Slytherin, when Gryffindors clearly seemed to have more fun.  
  
As Lily's eyes wandered further, she noticed another pair of eyes staring at her and was quite taken aback. She fixed it, however by smiling back. Severus Snape was in awe at the sight that met him, and was trying desperately hard not to show it. So, he casually raised his glass to her and she shook her head at him. His heart almost dropped when she saw that Black was her date. One of the sluts, he thought. How could she go with him? he had no idea of her feelings for James so it only intensified his hatred for the Gryffindor when he saw that Black made her smile, and she was comfortable in his presence.  
  
"I have to take a piss." Sirius said, in mid conversation no less.  
  
"Thanks for the announcement." Lily said, a little disgusted. "Did you really think I cared?"  
  
"You want a drink when I get back?" he asked, getting up from his chair.  
  
"Only if you wash your hands." She said, and was serious. He chuckled and walked away.  
  
"I have to go too. You want to come?" Diana asked. It was the first time they had spoken since she sat down.  
  
"No, I'm fine thanks." Lily answered, playing with her napkin.  
  
"Listen Lily." Diana began. "I'm sorry, I was being a bitch before."  
  
"It's ok Diana. I understood where you were coming from." Lily answered, while out of the corner of her eye she saw Narcissa staring.  
  
"It's just that, Black? Really?" she sounded disappointed.  
  
Lily laughed. "You know, he's not so bad, once you talk to him a bit." Lily tried to see if she could actually thaw the ice between the two.  
  
"It's different for you, he doesn't mind you. His goal in life is to make mine a living hell. And he botches to me about being attracted to a Slytherin. The nerve of him."  
  
"Diana, I assure you, his goal is anything but. It wouldn't hurt you to try too."  
  
"Please. When he apologizes, then we'll see. God I can't believe I said that."  
  
Lily laughed. "See, now go pee, you're squirming dear."  
  
"Right." She laughed at herself. "And, do you want me to get your drink?" she asked, pushing her chair in.  
  
"Ha ha. No, I think he can find his way back." She answered.  
  
Now they were alone, just Lily and Narcissa. Lily resented Narcissa even though she was a genuinely nice person. Why would James choose Narcissa over her? It was mind-boggling. They were just complete opposites, down to the very last strand of hair. Narcissa was taller than she was too, and it made her even more self-conscious. They looked better next to each other than James and Lily did. She noticed Narcissa smile at her from across the table.  
  
"Hi." She said sweetly.  
  
"Hello." Lily replied, equally as nice, even though hers was forced. Narcissa got up and took the seat next to Lily, much to Lily's surprise.  
  
"So how are you?" Narcissa asked.  
  
"Pretty good, you?" Lily asked. "How's James treating you? Well I hope." She said, smiling. She hated pretending to care.  
  
"Yes, he's quite the gentleman."  
  
"Hmm, well that doesn't sound much like him." she chuckled. "So are you two serious?" she asked intently. They were both girls, it was a legitimate question, Lily thought.  
  
Narcissa blushed. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Well, James has quite the reputation, as we all know."  
  
"Oh that." She laughed. "Well no, but if all goes well tonight, then maybe."  
  
Lily nervously laughed along with her. "Well, good for you. Well, ahem. That should be interesting. Have you ever? You know, before?"  
  
"No, but I don't mind it if it's him. We've got something really special."  
  
Lily was shocked. "Honey, I'm sorry to say it, but you're not the first to say that. Don't you think you should think about it first?" Lily was startled that she could be so stupid. Then again, James certainly had his ways.  
  
"I have." She said, very sure of herself.  
  
"Well, do you think he cares for you like that? You don't just throw something like that away Narcissa." Lily said.  
  
"Well when did you give it up?" she asked.  
  
"Um, I haven't. Not yet anyway." She said, not really wanting to answer her. It really was none of her business.  
  
"Then Lily, don't give me advice. And I mean that in the nicest way."  
  
"Sorry." She said, and went to turn around. That went ell, she thought. Narcissa felt bad.  
  
"You and James seem to be getting along better." She said, trying to liven Lily up. Lily reluctantly turned to hopefully end this ghastly conversation. There was no way it was going to end well.  
  
"So it seems." She said, and began to look for Sirius. Where the hell was her drink? She thought.  
  
"You know Lily, he talks about you a lot." She was just trying to make conversation. That got Lily's attention.  
  
"Really?" this came as a bit of a shock.  
  
"Yea, you know, what a fantastic player you are. You are, by the way. You really blew us all away." She said, complimenting Lily.  
  
"Well thank you. You know that's funny coming from, well."  
  
"A Slytherin?" Narcissa hissed.  
  
"Um, well yea. Sorry I can't help but stereotype you a little."  
  
"That's alright. Most of us are, as you've noticed."  
  
"Mmm Hmm. Well, anything else?" she was curious beyond her capacity to control herself. If James was talking about her, she had to know.  
  
"Well he said that you guys were enemies and stuff like that, but that he thinks you are a lot nicer now. He says you get along, which, believe me, none of us thought would happen." She explained.  
  
Lily smiled. "Yea well neither did I. Funny how things work out isn't it?" This conversation has to end, now, she thought. Lily hated being uncomfortable.  
  
"Indeed." She said, until Sirius interrupted them. He was back.  
  
"Lily, here you go." He said, handing her a drink.  
  
"Thank you." She said, mouthing a 'get me out of here' so he could see. He understood.  
  
"So Lily, what do you say we go dance?" he lightheartedly said. She got up and smiled at Narcissa who returned it.  
  
They got on the dance floor and to their luck it was a slow song. They shrugged and danced to it anyway, but a safe distance from each other. They were just friends, after all.  
  
"Ugh, thank god you got me away from her. I don't think I could have stood her much longer." Lily said.  
  
"That bad huh? No problem, I get it." he said, surveying the room searching to where Diana had run off too. It wasn't that she hadn't come back from the bathroom yet; it was the fact that Malfoy was nowhere to be seen as well.  
  
"Sirius?" She could tell he wasn't paying attention to a word she was saying.  
  
"Uh huh?" he asked, as he snapped back to reality.  
  
"How did you know? You know, about me?" she asked.  
  
"It was obvious, well, to me anyway. But don't worry, he is too clueless to ever figure it out on his own."  
  
"I didn't think I was that obvious. I didn't even know until this week or so." She explained.  
  
"It's alright, people change. Besides, I saw you blush when he hugged you this afternoon. You never blush." He said, smirking.  
  
"I was blushing, oh god." She laughed at her girlishness. "I have to work on that."  
  
Sirius laughed at her too. "So, how was Narcissa?"  
  
"Ugh, fine. She was nice and pretty, and, oh god get this, she thinks they have something really special." She said, batting her eyelashes, mimicking Narcissa.  
  
"Jesus, it's like he keeps dating the same girl over and over again."  
  
"Exactly. And she's thinking about giving it up tonight." She said, rather secretively.  
  
"I know." He replied as if it were obvious. She looked at him strangely. "He told me."  
  
"Just now?" she asked.  
  
"Just now, at the drink table. She's willing." He bluntly stated and started looking around again.  
  
"What the bloody hell are you doing?" she asked, getting annoyed at his short attention span.  
  
"Diana." He simply said.  
  
"Oh come off it will you," she ordered. "I am neglected here too. The least you could do is pretend to be interested. You are right though, where is that girl?" she asked, turning her head.  
  
*~ Diana was humming to herself in the bathroom. She had a song in her head that she could hear from the Great Hall. She was brushing her hair. When she was finished she took one last look in the mirror, smiled and exited.  
  
She was about to walk back in when she heard her name being called. She turned around to see Lucius leaning against one of the pillars. She couldn't help but smile.  
  
"Wow." He said, as his arms unfolded. "You look amazing Renton."  
  
"Thank you, so do you." She coyly said. "Very dapper."  
  
He chuckled. "So, having fun being alone and obligation free?"  
  
"Oh absolutely." She said. "And yourself?"  
  
"Of course. But I'm having more fun now. Would you like to go for a little stroll with me? It really is beautiful outside." He suavely asked her.  
  
She shrugged. "Alright." She said, and he grabbed her arm. They began walking, the music still echoing through the walls. At first they spoke of nothing. Lucius just stared at her.  
  
"Do you even know how beautiful you are Renton?" he asked her, finally.  
  
"Must you ask me that every time you see me?" she asked, sighing.  
  
"Sorry." He apologized.  
  
"No it's alright. You're not so bad yourself, you know." She said, looking him directly in the eyes. "And call me Diana."  
  
"What's your middle name?" he asked, slightly off topic.  
  
"Why do you want to know that?" she asked, perplexed by such a question.  
  
"Curiosity." He said, and shrugged. She raised her eyebrow at him.  
  
"Ok. It's Arabella." She answered.  
  
"That's really pretty. Can I call you that?"  
  
"I suppose, if you want to." She thought that was a rather strange request.  
  
"I do. I want to have a special name for you my dear. I have to be honest with you though."  
  
"Yes?" she asked, as he put his arm around her waist.  
  
"I haven't been able to think of anything else but you these past three weeks. I'm beginning to think you have put some sort of charm on me. You are mesmerizing. I do so look forward to your detentions, and I'm upset they are almost over." He confessed.  
  
"Well, that is certainly a compliment. What have you been thinking about, regarding me?" she asked, and clamped her hand on his. She was wondering if he would actually say it.  
  
He reluctantly laughed. "Well, I don't think that is suitable conversation for right now. Perhaps later."  
  
She playfully punched him. "That's not fair. Does it have anything to do with, seeing more of me?" she said, while putting her arms around his waist and drawing him closer to her.  
  
"Maybe." He said, and leaned in closer to her face. He kissed her hard, and forcefully. She was overcome with a sensation of lust and pleasure. He was strong, stronger than he looked, and she collapsed in his arms. He knew he had dominance over her, for he felt her weaken in his embrace. She was the one, however, to pull away.  
  
"Let's go inside." She suggested.  
  
"What for?" he said, kissing her neck.  
  
"It's cold" she said, giggling. He tickled a bit.  
  
"I'll warm you up."  
  
"Lucius." He stopped. "Not here." She said, as she pulled away. He reluctantly followed and they made their way back into the Great Hall. Lily was the first to spot her.  
  
"There she is." She said, relieved. Sirius turned around.  
  
"Shit." He said. It was then they heard Dumbledore speak again and they averted their attention.  
  
"I'm sorry ladies and gentlemen but we have reached the point where it is time for all the prefects to make their way to the dance floor." Lily groaned. "Come on, all houses now." He said, and the students made their way there. "And you are to dance with a partner from a different house."  
  
"What?" Lily asked. She was profoundly disappointed. A Ravenclaw prefect ran up to Sirius and asked him. he agreed and shrugged at Lily. Everyone seemed to have a partner. Diana danced with Lucius, obviously. James was with Narcissa. Damn it, she thought, and then she felt someone tap her shoulder.  
  
"Shall we?" She turned around to see Severus and she smiled.  
  
"Thank God." She said out of relief. "Crabbe was coming over here."  
  
He laughed. "No problem. You look great, I mean, really amazing."  
  
"Why thank you, I try." She jokingly stated.  
  
"Well it worked. So, I guess Balck has taken your fancy?" he said, trying to sound, well, not jealous.  
  
"Oh no. He's just a friend, nothing like that." She said, when she spotted James with Narcissa. She had his head on his chest and she couldn't help but smile when she saw his expression. He looked totally and completely uninterested. When Severus noticed her change in mood he turned around and saw the same picture. He didn't she it like she did though.  
  
As they were dancing James somehow made his way over to them. He smiled at Lily and she returned it.  
  
"Alright!" they heard Dumbledore say. "Now switch with the person next to you, come on, and mingle people." He said. Faster than they both noticed James and Severus switched partners, much to Severus and Narcissa's dismay.  
  
Lily almost tripped and James caught her. They were unsure how to position themselves so they sort of just stood there for a second.  
  
"This is silly Evans. Come here." He said, and grabbed her had. Then he put his hand on her waist. She shivered.  
  
"Demanding are we?" she asked, kidding.  
  
"Cute. So, having fun?" he asked, trying to make conversation. He felt oddly comfortable dancing with her.  
  
"Yea, it's alright. You?"  
  
"Eh, I've been to better." He said.  
  
"Yea I know. She's really nice Potter." She said, referring to Narcissa. "Pretty too."  
  
"Yea." He sighed. "She's not really my type though." Lily was shocked that she started laughing.  
  
"Not your type? Oh James, every girl you date is an exact replica of the previous one. You didn't realize that?" she asked.  
  
"No, but I'm surprised you did. I didn't think you cared."  
  
"I don't, but Katrina was a very helpful source of information." She said.  
  
"Oh my god, you remember that? Ugh, that was a huge mistake."  
  
"Mmm hmm. We all knew that." She said, smirking.  
  
"I hope you don't think less of me for it." he said.  
  
"I don't think anything of you." She blurted out.  
  
"Thanks, that makes me feel good." He said, trying not to smile.  
  
"I knew it would." She said, and the music stopped. There was some applause, and James and Lily hung on to each other a little longer than everyone else. She was the one who backed away.  
  
Uh, um, I'll see you later Lily." James said. "Have a great night."  
  
"You too James." She said. "You can't dance by the way." She said, as she saw Narcissa approaching.  
  
He laughed. "I know. You can though, you're a beautiful dancer." He said, and stopped when he caught himself flirting with her yet again. She laughed.  
  
"So I'm beautiful?" she asked. He wasn't going to deny it.  
  
He sighed. "Yea, ok? I admit it. Happy?" he asked, while he folded his arms.  
  
"Ecstatic." She replied, sounding sarcastic. He laughed at her and went to join his girlfriend. She was waiting with her arms folded at the edge of the dance floor. Remus and Nicole were there, and Narcissa overheard them talking.  
  
"Look at Lily and James." Nicole pointed out. " I think they are actually laughing."  
  
"Well I guess we'll have to ice skate back to the common room." He quipped. She laughed.  
  
"Look at them, friends, I can't believe it."  
  
"Friends? Nicky, you could cut the sexual tension between those two with a chainsaw." Remus said, and Narcissa turned to face them, with a very upset look on her face.  
  
Nicole nudged him and he turned a bit red out of embarrassment. Then they walked away.  
  
The hours passed and the ball drew to a close. Lily searched the room as people were leaving to see Diana missing. James wasn't there either and they both thought the same thing.  
  
"Let's just go up." He sighed and she followed. It was midnight and when they got up all the younger years were already asleep. They were about to go their separate ways, alone and tired when Sirius stopped her.  
  
"What?" she asked, reluctantly.  
  
"Thanks for doing this for me Lily." He said, genuinely nice.  
  
"Oh your welcome. I suppose I owe you one too." She said.  
  
"Not necessary. Although.." He said, eyeing her quizzically.  
  
"Yes?" she asked, leaning against the railing.  
  
"Well, neither of us did get any action tonight." He spoke, rather casually.  
  
"Not funny." She said, and began to head up the stairs.  
  
"No, I don't want to have sex with you Lily. I just want to try something." He said, defending himself.  
  
She walked back down the few steps. "Oh yea? What?"  
  
He grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. He kissed her softly on the lips for about five seconds. When he released her they both had awkward expressions on their faces.  
  
"Well?" he asked her, as she pulled herself away.  
  
She shook her head. "Eh, no."  
  
"Yea me neither. Worth a shot though." He said, thinking.  
  
"I guess, oh well." She said and ran up the stairs. "Nite Black!" she yelled.  
  
"Nite Evans!" he answered.  
  
~*~"Come back with me." Lucius asked Diana as they were leaving the Great Hall.  
  
She smiled. "I don't know."  
  
"Alright, alright, I understand. How about you just walk me back?" he asked, taking her hand.  
  
"Ok." She agreed. They walked down to the dungeon to the Slytherin common room. He muttered the password and the door opened.  
  
"Goodnight my dear." He said, looking totally unsatisfied.  
  
"Goodnight Lucius." She said. They paused there for a few moments. She just couldn't bring herself to leave.  
  
The without warning he scooped her up and kissed her again. It was passionate, needful, insatiable. He grabbed her tightly and pulled her inside. She couldn't say no. If she pulled away he only held onto her longer.  
  
They somehow made their way up the stairs to his dormitory. By the time he opened the door the zipper in the back of her dress was pulled down. He practically threw her into that room. He tossed his belt aside, and kicked it shut.  
  
*(That's it, sorry it's so long. Next chapter, the morning after. See how good I am, I say a day I mean a day :) Ok now tons of thank you's are seriously in order!  
  
Elegystar~ thanks I'm so glad you like it. You are seriously great!  
  
Feather~ Yes! You are one of the two people to get the coffee hint! Isn't it a great play on words. That one made me proud. And she's with Lucius because she is young and stupid, you know the deal. And no, Lily is not ditzy, which is why she is so hot and bothered. Love ya, you are the greatest.  
  
Monopoly Queen~ thank you so much for the compliment! I'm glad you enjoyed Quidditch, it was difficult to write, but I'm glad you thought it turned out well. You are one of my favorites!  
  
freakyfroggurl22~ you have been with me since the beginning and I love that you think it's awesome!  
  
Xnedra~ you are by far the person with the coolest compliments ever! You make me so happy to write you have no idea. And you are the other person to figure out the black/coffee thing, and I thought no one would! I guess that's what its all about. And I love Sirius too, and you are brilliant! And to answer your question regarding your previous review, yes it is a prequel to Forgotten Dreams. It is a very lighthearted prequel, as you cant tell. And everything will eventually tie together. Love ya!  
  
ChickoftheDarkMoon~ you rock! You really do! And see I keep my promises, 24 hours it is! I hope you liked it!  
  
Stargirl33~ thank you too, you are lovely. Although I am sorry to say that I have to correct you. I assume you have read the books but nowhere in them does it mention what position James Potter plays. It was confirmed by J.K in a Scholastic interview that, in fact, James was a chaser. You are thinking of the movies, dear, which are wrong. She has said this. But I am thrilled that you like it!  
  
Moon Princess~ yes, 24 hours! But I keep my promises. I am glad you loved Quidditch and I love your compliments! Love Ya! Talk to you soon!  
  
Miaka~ I am glad you love it, you are Lovely!  
  
Carrie~ yea I know that the characters changed a bit, but you are right, they had to eventually. I have to make them fall in love somehow. I will try to add more dirty stuff, and if you have any ideas, let me know. You are the coolest!  
  
Lily Luna~ thank you so much, I really appreciate that! I'm so glad you enjoy it.  
  
Sjangel~ I know you aren't up to this yet dear but I must thank you anyway. You are lovely, and I'm so happy you like it!  
  
Julia~ well I must say welcome to Fanfiction.net! There are so many lovely stories out there and I am honored that you read mine first. And I am a romantic too and will eventually get them together with a bang! Sirius and Diana come later though. I am sorry for the profanity and will try to watch it. And don't worry, pranks of that nature wont be in great abundance, because I, in a way agree with you. But keep in mind they are 16 here, and hormones are raging. You are lovely!  
  
Quack Quack 88~ you are awesome, glad you like it!  
  
Number1chick~ you rock! I just had to say that. I love that you like it! I hope it doesn't disappoint!  
  
Alexa Donaghy~ you plugged this so I am forever grateful! You are the coolest chick out there, just so you know! And yea, its one big twisted soap opera! Love ya!  
  
Me~ such a great reviewer behind such a vague name. You are fabulous!  
  
Damia~ thank you soooo much! Yea, Malfoy's forceful, and no its not good, but I'm glad you like it!  
  
Tinkerbellhp07~ I'm glad you think it's wonderful! You are really great!  
  
Danceangie101~ thank you so much. I appreciate it because I think you are a beautiful writer as well! I love that you like it, I was truly honored I must say! Thank you!  
  
Fiery red head girl~ you are fantastic! And to answer some of your questions, Yes he does, but he is stringing along Narcissa because he's confused, blah, blah, blah! I'm so happy you like it!  
  
Starblaze~ thank you I am thrilled you enjoy it!  
  
Kaydee~ you are so sweet and I am so happy you like it! And you are the only one to make the Natilie Portman reference, well done! Actually, she is a combination of Natalie Portman and Nicole Kidman, two of my favorite actresses. But nice spotting!  
  
Guard Girl~ yeah, I get applause. And I know, actually when I wrote that one eye rolling I was like, I don't know, can I avoid this? But I left it in anyway! And thank you for the compliments, I appreciate them more than you know. And just as a side note I was upset to hear that you discontinued your story. I really did love it, but I understand when lack of inspiration hits. And what I meant by my review was that it was fitting to me, not necessarily that we had proof. You're right; we have no idea what he is like, but I like that version just the same :) love ya!  
  
Wow that took me like a half hour, just so you all know! But that is how much I love and appreciate all of you! Thank you again! And I will try to update soon!~Angelxd14 


	13. Reconcilable Differences:Black & Renton

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~**~ The Morning After......About 6 am  
  
Diana walked slowly towards the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. Her hair was in shambles and she was holding her shoes in one hand, while lifting her dress up with the other. She was exhausted and had only slept about an hour or so. He was still asleep when she left. The sun was barely up. It was a Saturday morning after all; no one would be awake for at least another four hours. She felt more comfortable sleeping in her own dorm anyways.  
  
As she muttered the password the door creaked open. She didn't want to make a lot of noise. She didn't feel like facing Lily either. She would be cross with her and she wasn't in the mood. Maybe I'll sleep in the common room, she thought. It would surely be empty.  
  
It wasn't. She let out a gasp when she saw there was someone in there, and not asleep. "Damn it." She said, out loud.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Sirius said. He had slept there that night because James wanted to use the dorm with Narcissa, and he sure as hell wasn't going to stay.  
  
"What the hell are you doing up?" she asked, groggy and not in the best mood. She yawned.  
  
"Nothing. I couldn't sleep. Plus James is up there." He said. She understood what he was saying and she nodded. She walked over to the stairs and stopped.  
  
"Lily's not up there with anyone is she?" she asked. She didn't want to intrude if she was.  
  
"No. Who would she be up there with?" he asked, adjusting his position.  
  
"Well....good point. I thought she'd be up there with you." She said, honestly.  
  
He laughed a little too loudly. "Me? No."  
  
"So you didn't try to sleep with her or anything?" she asked, a little dumbfounded that he didn't. "That surprises me."  
  
"No." He said.  
  
"Well good. She took my advice then." She said, climbing the stairs one at a time.  
  
"Renton?" he called as she got to the top. She stopped and turned.  
  
"What?" she said, with an attitude.  
  
"I want to talk to you." He said.  
  
She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Why? Because I am really, really, not in the mood to be insulted by you this morning. I have a headache and I'm tired so if you will just please-"  
  
"I want to apologize to you." He said, silencing her. She folded her arms and leaned against the railing.  
  
"What, now?" she said, baffled. "It's not a good time."  
  
"Not a good time for an apology? That doesn't make any sense." He said, getting up.  
  
"Black please!" she emotionally pleaded. "Whatever you have to say, can't it wait a few hours? I-I have to go." She said, turning away.  
  
"Is everything alright?" he asked, concerned. She wasn't acting normal.  
  
"What use it is to you whether I'm alright or not? Don't want to feel guilty?" she said. He didn't answer so she just turned around. "This is a waste of time." She said before leaving.  
  
Sirius just sat down and put his head in his hands. Great, he thought. He felt she hated him more than ever. He was about to lie down and attempt sleep when his eyes fell on a book on the table on the far left corner of the room. He was bored and he probably wasn't really going to sleep anyway, so he got up and walked over to it. It had a deep red cover but no title. Hmm, he thought and opened it.  
  
There was a title page however.  
  
"Seventeenth Century Mapmakers: Discovering the Secrets of the British Underground."  
  
What's this? Sirius thought, and opened to chapter one.  
  
"Chapter one: How Jarvis Fitzpatrick escaped from the Bristol Raid of 1724"  
  
He escaped using a map, big fucking deal, Sirius thought. But, he read the chapter anyway.  
  
~Diana slowly opened the door to her dorm, trying very hard not to wake Lily. She threw her shoes on the floor. Then she looked at Lily. She was sleeping in Diana's bed. Diana sighed but she climbed in anyway. She wanted Lily to be awake. She wanted to talk to her.  
  
As she laid down next to Lily she put one arm on her shoulder. This slightest touch jolted Lily awake and she sat up.  
  
"Hi." Diana said.  
  
"Hi." Lily said, and smiled. "Did you just get back?" she asked, yawning.  
  
"Uh, yea." She replied as she got up. She wanted to throw off the filth she was wearing. It was incredibly uncomfortable.  
  
"I was worried about you." Lily said, as she leaned back against the headboard, watching her every move.  
  
"I know." She said, as she grabbed her lower stomach and winced.  
  
"What's the matter? Are you, are you in pain?" Lily asked, angrily.  
  
"It's nothing." She said.  
  
"Bullshit Diana. Did he hurt you?" she asked in an enraged whisper. She got up from the bed and looked her in the eye. Diana avoided her gaze, and it only upset her more.  
  
Then Diana looked up. "No." She said. "At least not on purpose." She muttered.  
  
"What the hell does that mean?" Lily asked, her voice getting louder.  
  
"Lily, listen. He didn't hit me or anything. Jesus, calm down." She said, grabbing a t-shirt.  
  
"So then what happened?" Lily asked, leaning against the wall.  
  
"Well, it's a little embarrassing. Its sort of stupid really." She said, pulling the shirt over her shoulders. Lily just stared. Diana sighed. "Well, lets just say that, um........" she hesitated.  
  
"Let's have it." Lily said, in a motherly tone, as if she were ready to scold her.  
  
"Well I, um....I don't think Oliver did a very good job at, you know, taking my........"  
  
"Virginity?" Lily asked, shaking her head in puzzlement. Diana nodded.  
  
There was silence as Lily thought about this for a moment. "I don't understand. Did you bleed?" she asked, uncomfortably. Diana nodded.  
  
"Did it hurt?"  
  
"Like hell." Diana responded. "It was like, being impaled." Diana said, practically shaking. She began to tear up a little. Lily walked over to her and hugged her. Diana started to cry harder.  
  
"I didn't know." She cried. "I thought-"  
  
"It's ok." Lily said, shushing her. She walked her over to the bed and they plopped down on it. "Well what did he say?"  
  
"He was, uh, shocked, but he didn't stop or anything." She said.  
  
"Did you ask him to?" she asked.  
  
"No!" she spat, getting defensive. "Damn Lily I wasn't fucking raped! God, you're always blowing things up!" she yelled, pushing Lily away.  
  
"Well you're the one who's crying!" she yelled, equally as loud. Diana just said nothing. She just threw her covers off and got under them, emphasizing her anger. Lily did feel a little bad. She didn't deserve that.  
  
"I'm sorry." Lily said.  
  
"No you're not." Diana spat. "You just don't want me to be angry at you. Well I am so deal with it."  
  
"I'm not angry at you. C'mon Ana talk to me. At least tell me the good parts." Lily said, trying to sound cheerful. Diana turned at sat up again.  
  
"Do you really want to know?" she asked.  
  
"Yea. But first tell me, because I'm dying to know." She said, eagerly.  
  
"Yea?" she asked.  
  
Lily made a motion with her hands that indicated size and Diana laughed.  
  
"Well?" Lily asked. She then got in her own bed. Diana shook her head and got under the covers.  
  
"C'mon, just a hint." Lily said.  
  
"Goodnight Lily." Diana said. She wanted to get a little sleep.  
  
"But it's morning anyway." She said.  
  
"I'm sleeping. We'll talk later." She said, whining.  
  
"Ok, ok........please?"  
  
"Shut up Lily." Diana laughed, as she pulled the covers over her head.  
  
*"What are you doing down here?" James asked, exhausted. It was 10 am by now, and Sirius had become enthralled in that book.  
  
"You told me to come down here you ass." He replied, not taking his eyes off the text.  
  
"Oh right." James said, yawning.  
  
"She still here?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Yea, asleep." James said, pointing to their dorm.  
  
"Ah. So..did she blossom for you?" Sirius chuckled.  
  
James sighed and sat down beside him. "Yea." He said this, not too pleased with himself.  
  
"Virgin?"  
  
"Yea."  
  
"Interesting. You feel bad?"  
  
"A little." James admitted. Sirius, for the first time looked up from the book and stared at James.  
  
"That doesn't sound like you."  
  
"I know. Scary isn't it?"  
  
"If you feel bad then why did you do it in the first place?" Sirius shut the book.  
  
"Couldn't tell you. I don't know. She really wanted to though which was weird."  
  
"Why is that weird?"  
  
"Well, and don't tell anyone I told you this but, she started crying." James whispered.  
  
"Shit." Sirius said. He suddenly became interested. "Why? Did you hurt her?"  
  
"I don't know, I don't think so. She, uh, cried towards the end. Let me tell you it was incredibly uncomfortable. She just wouldn't get off of me."  
  
"Oh my god." Sirius tried to keep from laughing, but this girl was too much.  
  
"It's not funny! And you know what else?"  
  
"What?" he said, calming down.  
  
James hesitated, and his mouth soured. "She told me she loved me."  
  
Sirius looked at him, wide eyed and taken aback. "Oh shit mate, that's rough."  
  
"Well what do I do?" James asked, fidgeting.  
  
"Hey it's your bed, now lie in it." Sirius said, putting his arms up. "It's not my mess."  
  
"How could you say that? I'm in big fucking trouble."  
  
"That you are, my friend." Sirius said. "Do you love her?"  
  
"God no." he spat, slightly beyond his control.  
  
"Make sure you don't answer her like that. She might not take that well." Sirius shook a finger at him. James grabbed his hair in frustration.  
  
"Listen Prongs. From what I hear she sounds a little nutty. For one thing, you've only been going out for a couple of weeks. See if she brings it up. If not, then all is forgotten."  
  
"You think?" James asked, filled with some hope.  
  
"Yea. But let me tell you one thing. You suck at relationships. You can't just jerk girls around, they come back to haunt you."  
  
"Oh like you should talk. You've never been in a real relationship your entire life. Haunt me? Well isn't that pleasant."  
  
"Reality mate, it's a bitch."  
  
"Yea. Hey, what is that you're reading?" James asked, distracted from the subject.  
  
"Oh right I forgot. I wanted to show you this." He said, handing the book to James. He opened up to the title page.  
  
"Mapmakers? What is this?"  
  
"Open up to chapter five."  
  
James did so and read it aloud. "For mischief makers only: How to construct your very own map?..What is this?"  
  
"What are you stupid or something? A map."  
  
"Yea, but what's it for?"  
  
"Think about it." Sirius said, snatching the book back.  
  
James thought about it, running the words over and over again in his head. It was difficult for him to think clearly on a Saturday morning. Then, like a bat out of hell it hit him. A map. Of course. They could do so much damage with it.  
  
"I got it." James said, having an epiphany.  
  
"Well I should hope so Prongs. Think about it. Think about all we could do with something like this. The passageways, and not getting caught. It says here that if we do it right, we could see everyone we wanted to. We could see if a teacher is coming, or some nosy Slytherin. We could go in and out of Hogsmeade whenever we please. I bet there's a way to Zonko's from here but we just have to find it. We could use your cloak, Prongs, the one your dad gave you. It might actually come in handy."  
  
"Genius." James said with a childlike eagerness. "We have to tell Moony and Wormtail."  
  
"Absolutely. But it has to be our little secret."  
  
"Of course. Hey, where did you get this anyways?" James asked.  
  
"I found it. It was just laying over there on that desk." Sirius pointed to the table in the corner of the room.  
  
"Oh." James looked disappointed. "Then it's not yours."  
  
"Well no.oh I see what you mean. But if someone was as thoughtless as to leave it there then-"  
  
Sirius stopped as he heard a door open and then slam shut again. Just then Diana and Lily emerged from their room. They were drowsy, but dressed.  
  
"Something the matter boys?" Diana asked, in the midst of a yawn.  
  
"Good morning ladies." Sirius said, trying to sound reasonable chipper.  
  
"Morning." They spoke in unison. Other students began to awake as well. Others emerged and went to their respective bathrooms and such. Breakfast was at eleven. James figured that he might as well go see how Narcissa was doing in his dorm. He felt guilty just leaving her there, but he somehow had to tell her how he really felt. He just didn't think of her that way. That was going to be difficult.  
  
Sirius was already dressed. He had brought clothes with him last night and was ready at about eight. So he just picked up the book and decided to resume reading. He wanted to catch up and he was incredibly excited.  
  
Diana and Lily went to the prefect's bathroom to freshen up and brush their teeth. They spoke no more of Lucius because Diana didn't want to. She didn't know what she felt at that moment. Lily managed to forget about James for a time. He knew he had spent the night with Narcissa and forced herself to think of other things.  
  
"You know what I've been thinking Diana?" Lily said, tying her hair back.  
  
"What?" she answered, spitting toothpaste into the sink.  
  
"You and Black need to get along." She said, suddenly leaning against the counter.  
  
Diana groaned. "You told him that too didn't you?" she asked, bending down to tie her shoe.  
  
"Actually no. Why?" Lily questioned.  
  
"Because he tried to apologize to me this morning, rather unexpectedly." She said. "It was strange, and extremely out of character. He was almost being nice about it."  
  
"Well, people change."  
  
"Do they?" Diana looked at Lily's expressions again. She laughed inside her head. "Ok, I'll make peace with Black if you answer me one question."  
  
"You mean there are conditions?" Lily sighed. "Very well. What is it?" She folded her arms to prepare.  
  
"Tell me who it is?"  
  
"Who what is?" Lily looked confused.  
  
"Lily...darling. I am your best friend right?"  
  
"For now, yes." She simply said, kidding of course. Diana glared at her.  
  
"Well then. You are an open book Lily Evans. At least to me. Now you want to fuck someone. Who is it?"  
  
"Diana!" Lily yelled. "Will you keep your voice down. We are not the only people in here." Diana laughed and Lily shook her head. "Ugh, you are so vulgar."  
  
"Answer the question."  
  
"No."  
  
"Fine, then you can forget about me making friends with Black. Lets see, how shall I piss him off today?" she contemplated, out loud.  
  
"Oh please don't. Fine, I'll tell you."  
  
Diana immediately stopped what she was doing to listen intently to Lily's response, which annoyed Lily even more. Then while Diana was smirking she chickened out.  
  
"I've changed my mind." Lily said and proceeded to leave.  
  
"What?! No I wont settle for that." Diana said, blocking the door.  
  
"Don't be a bitch." Lily warned.  
  
"Tell me." Diana locked it.  
  
"Ok. IhaveacrushonPotter, there!" she spat, hoping it would be enough  
  
"Sorry? I didn't quite hear that."  
  
Lily reached over and leaned in by Diana's ear. She hesitated again and then whispered his name. At the mere mention of it Diana erupted into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. She fell to the floor and began to smack the ground. This was too much.  
  
"Are you kidding?" she asked, in between breaths and laughter. "I don't believe it! Oh Lily you are too much!" she cried, getting up but still clutching her diaphragm.  
  
Lily couldn't help but laugh along with her. "I know, I know." Lily said, smiling.  
  
"But seriously now. Potter?!" Diana yelled.  
  
"Shhhhh!!!!" Lily said, pressing her index finger over her mouth. "Shut up!"  
  
"Oh Lily no one is in here." She said, dismissing her. She finally had calmed down and leaned against the wall. "Wow," she began out of pure shock. "James Potter, the biggest player Hogwarts has ever seen, and you want to go to bed with him. Lily my dear, have I taught you nothing? I am shocked an appalled." She said, pretending she was angry.  
  
"Believe me so am I. I didn't see it coming I'll tell you that much."  
  
"Yes love does creep up on us when we least expect it." she said, trying to sound knowledgeable. "You surprise me Lily. All the times we have spent making fun of the self-centered git and his 'conquests' and here you are, wanting to be one of them. I think I'm going to cry."  
  
"I don't want to be a conquest. I don't want to be anything. It is just a crush; a silly girlish crush and it will pass. I am not now, nor will I ever be in love with James Potter. Could you imagine if I was? I'd be as helpless as all the others. Plus it would never work out. He would annoy the living shit out of me."  
  
"Yea, he's a bit immature. But I have noticed him look at you differently. He doesn't look like he wants to vomit when you walk in the room anymore. I think he is glad you are around, most of the time."  
  
"Can we overanalyze this some other time? I want to eat." Lily said, and then they heard a toilet flush. At first Lily felt embarrassed but she wanted to die when she saw who came out of the stall.  
  
Lily and Diana stared into the hurt eyes of Narcissa Silverton, who casually walked passed them. She unlocked the door and slammed it behind her.  
  
"Oh shit." Diana said and covered her mouth. Lily rubbed her temples.  
  
"Do you think she heard?"  
  
Diana just looked at her. "Um, yea. We weren't exactly whispering." She said.  
  
"Oh I feel horrible." Lily said. "Shit." She felt like she was going to overheat.  
  
"Why don't you go downstairs and eat something. It will calm you down." Diana said soothingly. She felt it was somewhat her fault. Lily had asked her not to shout. Lily listened to her and walked out, in a not so pleasant mood. Diana hung around for a minute, fixing her appearance. Lucius would be downstairs, she feared. She was embarrassed about that too, because to her knowledge, she was not a virgin.  
  
She brushed it off and exited the bathroom. She stopped in her room to put away her hairbrush before hurrying downstairs to eat. She was terribly hungry.  
  
She was surprised to find that Sirius was still in the common room when everyone else had left. She noticed him reading something, and was cross to find out what it was.  
  
"Why are you reading my book?" she asked from the top of the stairs. Sirius' eyes shot up at the sound of her voice.  
  
"Your book?" he asked, surprised.  
  
"Yes. And what are you still doing up here? Everyone's already downstairs."  
  
"Yes I know. I didn't know you were here." He said, beginning to read again. This was a loosing battle with her. She began to walk down the stairs.  
  
"May I have it please?" she asked, reaching her hand out to him. She figured she could at least ask him reasonably nicely.  
  
"I'm in the middle of something here. Besides, you left it down here unattended. That means it's fair game for anyone to just pick it up."  
  
And it happens to be you, she thought. Then she remembered Lily's words in the bathroom. She had promised to apologize, and she really didn't want to.  
  
"Why are you reading that?" she asked, slightly avoiding her purpose for a few minutes. "It's mine." She repeated.  
  
"Yes so I've heard. Where did you get this?"  
  
"My uncle sent it to me. I don't have any use for it though." She said, folding her arms.  
  
"May I borrow it?"  
  
"Why?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.  
  
"Because I find it interesting, and since you don't I wonder if I might steal it for a while, just until I am done of course."  
  
"Yes, well I suppose you have a point. Fine I suppose you can borrow it." She hesitated at what she was about to say. "Listen Black?"  
  
He lifted his eyes to her once more and closed the book. "Yes?"  
  
"I.. uh..well I'm sorry for this morning. I..I didn't mean to snap at you. I suppose you didn't deserve it." she said, not looking directly at him.  
  
"Really?" he asked, folding his arms. "You were horribly rude."  
  
She glared at him. "I know. I just have a lot of stuff going on and....I want to apologize to you."  
  
Sirius cracked a small smile. "I appreciate that."  
  
"Now what exactly did you want to tell me this morning?"  
  
"The same thing basically."  
  
"Did Lily tell you to do that?"  
  
"No. She never said a word about anything." He said.  
  
"Oh." Diana felt a bit silly.  
  
"Sit down Renton." He commanded.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Just do it." he said, and she did, but on the other side of the sofa. "I'm sorry." He said, and from his tone she knew he meant it.  
  
"For?"  
  
"Everything basically. I am tired of us being on opposite sides of the spectrum."  
  
"What spectrum?" she chuckled.  
  
"You know what I mean. We are on the same team after all."  
  
"This is true. I never did thank you for yesterday. You helped out there, I could have fallen or gotten hurt or something." She remembered how he had handled that Bludger that was fired at her during the game, but she was so puzzled that he actually did it that she had forgotten to thank him for it.  
  
"Well we needed to win, and they were cheating."  
  
"I guess you're right."  
  
"You were forced to say I'm sorry weren't you?" he asked, fidgeting around on the couch. He had never really spoken to her as a human being before, and it felt somewhat foreign to him. But he was delighted to do it, in his own private way.  
  
"Well" she sighed. "Sort of."  
  
"Lily?"  
  
"Yes. But she did have a point. We are sort of hanging out with the same people now, it couldn't hurt. But you are an absolute prick, and I don't know if you will ever really be nice. I personally don't think you have it in you."  
  
"Really? Well, I'm not so bad." He smirked.  
  
"Don't be cocky. Besides, Lily seems to like you, for an inexplicable reason. I guess I could tolerate you, but only if you promise not to insult me anymore."  
  
"I promise. And no more calling me pieces of human garbage and using words I don't understand."  
  
"Ugh, its not my fault you have the vocabulary of a ten year old child." She said, getting a little more comfortable. She crossed her legs and when she did a little bit of her midriff showed. They were allowed regular clothes on the weekends.  
  
Sirius eyed her up and down and she noticed.  
  
"Well even I have imperfections. And I have no problem tolerating you. Its not as easy as you think, being on your hit list."  
  
"I was unaware I had one, but yes you would be on it." she said. He got up from the couch and she sank into it a bit more.  
  
"Do you want to end this shit or not?" he asked, placing the book down on a nearby table.  
  
"Ugh, fine. If you leave me alone I suppose I could be indifferent to you."  
  
"Wow, indifference, how nice. But I can be civil." He said, as if he had been thinking about it.  
  
"So can I. I am not that dreadful, you know."  
  
Sirius thought for a moment. "I can believe that."  
  
"Good." She said. Then there was a short period of uncomfortable silence. She fiddled with the hem of her pants, while he observed. He watched her twirl her hair for a few seconds when she caught him and immediately stopped.  
  
"Do you want to go down?" he asked.  
  
"Right." She said, remembering her growling stomach. "Fine."  
  
He leant out his arm to her to help her off the couch. She gave him a strange look.  
  
"What?" she asked, unnerved by that act. She had never really experienced chivalry first hand.  
  
"Need help?"  
  
"Oh." She felt a bit silly. "Um, sure?" she said it as if it were a question. He was acting a little peculiar in her opinion.  
  
He stretched out his hand and she grabbed it. It lingered there for a few seconds and he wasn't sure what to do next. When he remembered he yanked her up a little too strongly and she was taken by surprise. She landed with a thud on his chest.  
  
She wasn't sure if she should be angry or annoyed or if she should thank him. She felt neither angry nor annoyed with him. For the first time she noticed what color his eyes were. They were quite similar to hers. They were dark, almost black, and had sincerity behind them. A quality she didn't think he possessed. She gently released herself but their hands were still clenched even when there was more than a foot between them.  
  
He wanted to kiss her, he really did. She looked so sexy to him at that moment that all he wanted to do was grab her and march her upstairs as quickly as possible. He decided against it for two very specific reasons. One of them was Malfoy. His sinister face flashed into his mind and he remembered how taken she had become with him. Five minutes wasn't going to change that. The other reason was that he would most certainly receive a forceful and dramatic slap across the face and then there would certainly be no hope. She would hate him even more.  
  
He was the one to let go, not her. He quickly shoved his hands in his pockets and began walking towards the door. She remained there for a second, trying to make what just happened make sense in her head.  
  
"Hungry?" he asked her as he opened the door.  
  
"Starving." Was all she could say, as she came back to reality and followed him out the door. She dismissed what had happen although he did not. She was a bit confused, and Diana hated being confused. She would not like nor trust him overnight. It took too much for her to trust anyone. So instead she kept the distance safe, and the conversation trivial. As they walked down to breakfast to greet their mutual friends, one thought kept running over and over again in her mind. It had certainly been an interesting three weeks...  
  
(I know, nothing major and it still drags a bit. The next chapter will be set a few months later, probably around Christmas or Halloween or whatever. Updates will most likely be every Saturday. Well, at least a New York Saturday. Thanks again for the reviews!)~Angelxd14 


	14. The Delicious Kiss

Disclaimer: See previous chapters. CAUTION: Super long chapter!!! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~  
  
December 15, 1974..about three months later....  
  
"Alright!" cried Professor Sinistra as the exhausted sixth year Gryffindor's and Ravenclaw's piled onto the Astronomy Tower. It was midnight, and it was a Monday.  
  
James, Sirius, and Peter were leaning against the back wall, half asleep. Lily, Katrina and Nicole were up front, ready to work, although they were equally as tired. Lily kept glancing over at Nicole's watch, indiscreetly, and then tapping her shoe on the ground to express her impatience.  
  
"What are you doing?" Nicole asked. The class hadn't settled down yet.  
  
"Where is she? It's 12:15." She said in an annoyed tone.  
  
"Maybe she fell asleep." Nicole said in the midst of a yawn.  
  
"I highly doubt that." Lily shot back. "She knows we have class now."  
  
"Lily, whatever." Nicole said, waving her hand in the air. It was too late, and she was too tired to put up with it for the hundredth time that month.  
  
Lily just shrugged. She glanced at the boys in the back, trying to stay awake. She caught James' eye and he smiled back.  
  
He was still seeing Narcissa, sort of. He kept denying it when Lily was around, but if you asked Narcissa, she'd tell you they were engaged. At least that was the message Lily got whenever they spoke. Lily was forced to tutor her as well. Professor Flitwick said that she was having some problems grasping certain concepts, and since Lily was the best at Charms, naturally she had to do it. She would correct her essays, and help her with the content of them. They practiced practical Charms, as well as the more advanced ones. Lily minded at first, her jealousy getting the best of her. But after speaking to Narcissa, and apologizing for the incident in the bathroom, they became rather friendly. Lily even gave Narcissa some advice on how to handle James. Needless to say the experience was quite surreal for the both of them, considering Narcissa knew how Lily felt about him. Lily tried telling herself repeatedly that it was just a crush...a four month long crush.  
  
Nicole glanced back, expecting to see Remus, but to her disappointment he was nowhere to be found. He hadn't been around all day.  
  
"Where's Remus?" she asked, turning back to Lily.  
  
"I don't know. He's not there?" she asked, averting her attention back to her.  
  
"No." she said, looking a bit worried. They had officially become a couple, and were steadily seeing each other for the past three months. "Where do you think he went?"  
  
"I don't know Nic. He tends to disappear now and then anyways. Maybe he's in the library." She said, taking another glance at her watch.  
  
"No. I haven't seen him all day, or last night. He disappeared right after dinner. Come to think of it, he does to his little disappearing act about once a month. Last month his grandmother had pneumonia. On our one month anniversary he had an urgent doctor's appointment and was gone all weekend." She said, whining as she spoke.  
  
"You guys had an anniversary?" she asked, chuckling. "Don't you think that's a little-"  
  
"Lily, please stick to the topic." She said, putting her hand up to silence her. "Ugh, anyway, I am a little worried."  
  
"Why? He's been doing it ever since we came here, and you're worried about it now? If it was anything serious don't you think we would have found out about it?"  
  
"I guess you're right."  
  
"Unless.." Katrina chimed in.  
  
"Unless what?" Nicole asked, turning to her.  
  
"Maybe he's..uh..meeting someone." Katrina said, watching Nicole's eyes grow wider.  
  
"What? You mean like a girl?" Nicole said, slightly louder than a whisper.  
  
"Nicole, if the guy were cheating on you, you'd know. Besides, you two are way to sickening to begin with, and I mean that in the nicest way. He doesn't have the energy to two time you. And another thing, he's gone more than one day, unless he's having an affair with a Unicorn from the Forbidden Forest, I'm pretty sure you're ok. Now can we stop talking about this, its way too late." Lily said, trying to calm down her friend.  
  
"Fine." She said, and folded her arms.  
  
~"So when should we leave?" Sirius asked James from the back of the class.  
  
"Soon, right before the end. We'll sneak out somehow." James said, glancing up at the moon. It was full. He thought about Remus waiting for them. They were late as it was. It was more difficult to sneak out when they had Astronomy at midnight.  
  
"Everyone! Settle down, settle down!" the professor screeched. Professor Sinistra was a relatively young woman in her mid thirties. The late night classes were not her cup of tea either, but it was when learning would be most beneficial to the students, she reasoned. "Tonight we are going to observe specific constellations in the sky. We are going to discuss the elements of Astrophysics in relation to the stars. Now you will all need-"  
  
Professor Sinistra's instructions were interrupted by a series of loud, running footsteps coming up the stairs. A feminine shadow was climbing the stairs two at a time, and stopped at the top to catch her breath. She was lucky that this class required no textbooks, or else she might have passed out. She collected herself quickly, still panting, and casually took her place in the back of the mob.  
  
"You're late Miss Renton." She said, sternly.  
  
"Yes, I'm sorry Professor." She said, catching her breath. She spotted Lily and shimmied her way to her.  
  
"Now that we are all here," the professor said, glaring at Diana, who just shrugged to everyone else, "you are going to work in groups of three. I will display these images through the telescope for you. Here is a list of all the constellations you will be observing. I want you to take down their shape, what they represent in ancient philosophies, and their technical significance and definitions." She said this as she passed out worksheets to the entire class. Most of them groaned.  
  
"Now, now, none of that." She hissed. "Now the first one we are going to discuss is the constellation of Orion's Belt.."  
  
"Where were you?" Lily hissed at Diana. Diana just put her finger over her mouth and began copying notes. Diana had been trying extra hard to keep up her grades this semester, she couldn't afford to slack off and lose her prefect status. That, and she didn't want to talk about it. Lately, Diana didn't want to talk about a lot of things.  
  
"....OK to start off, Orion's belt has 3 major stars. They would be: Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. Here I will describe each star..."  
  
"So Katrina," Nicole whispered. "How are you and Peter?" Katrina and Peter had been casually dating on and off for a little while, ever since the Ball.  
  
Katrina shook her head from side to side, suggesting uncertainty. "Alright." She whispered back. "He's sweet, you know. Not really my type though."  
  
"....It is said that the stars in the sky are labeled Orion in honor of a great hunter, son of Neptune and the Nymph Eurayle......"  
  
"So Prongs, that Slytherin still giving you problems?" Sirius spoke, jotting down anything he could absorb.  
  
"Ugh, please don't get me started on her." He said, shaking his head. "You know Evans is tutoring her now?" he said, baffled.  
  
Sirius nodded. "She told me."  
  
"I don't know Padfoot, I feel a little bad. I don't want to hurt her or anything."  
  
"Lily or Sliverton?" Sirius asked, looking at James.  
  
"Uh..Silverton, um, Narcissa." He said, correcting himself.  
  
"Ah. Well if you're going to end it, you had better do it soon. Especially if.." Sirius noticed James looking at Lily, who was taking copious notes.  
  
"...Your eyes are starting to wander." He said, looking back and forth between the two. It was so obvious to Sirius that he hoped James would get the hint already.  
  
"Well, you know I'm not one to like steady relationships." James said, shrugging himself off.  
  
"Maybe you just haven't met the right girl." Peter said, absentmindedly. James thought about this for a moment.  
  
"...According to Greek mythology Orion died being stung by a scorpion. He is set such in the sky that he sets in the west while his slayer, the Scorpius, rises in the East..." Sinistra continued.  
  
"I didn't miss anything did I?" Diana asked, yawning.  
  
"Not really. Just the discussion about Remus' disappearances." Lily said, not taking her eyes off her paper.  
  
"Oh, not here again? You know what else I've noticed?" Diana said, stopping her writing.  
  
"What?" Katrina asked.  
  
"The other three aren't around either."  
  
"How do you mean?" Nicole asked.  
  
"Well, whenever Remus is away, they usually disappear for a couple of hours. Coincidence? I think not." She said, inquisitively.  
  
"Hmm, this is very true." Lily said, as if realizing it for the first time. Then she paused. "Orgy?" she said, smirking.  
  
"Oh yeah." Diana said, and they laughed.  
  
"Whores." Katrina said.  
  
"The worst." Nicole chimed in.  
  
"...The next star we are going to discuss is the Dog Star, or Sirius as it is often called...."  
  
"That's you Padfoot." James said, smirking. A few people turned to look at Sirius, and he stood up and bowed in return. Sinistra did not find this amusing at all, so she continued as if noticing nothing.  
  
"....Sirius is actually the brightest star in the sky. It is nine light years away, not particularly close. Its cycles were closely followed by the ancient Egyptians....."  
  
Diana turned around to look at Sirius, who just raised a mischievous brow at her. She shook her head at his cockiness before smiling secretly to herself. Sirius just kept staring, even though she had turned. They were standing and he got a very clear view of her from the back of the tower. His eyes firmly placed on the curves of her hips, watching her sway with every word she wrote.  
  
"....The Greeks named the constellation Sirius, "the Scorcher" as they believed the Dog Star was responsible for the hot weather and listlessness that plagued them in the summer months.."  
  
James couldn't take his eyes off Lily either. Her hair gleamed in the moonlight, flattering her fair skin beautifully. She tuned a couple if times to glance at him, and noticed his eyes dart back to the paper he wasn't writing on. She felt his eyes, watching her ravenously, memorizing her every move. Her step, the way she played with her hair. All of these movements were exquisite to him. Every time she bit her lip, thinking carefully, he grew weak. Then James realized it, and it took him slightly by surprise. He wanted Lily Evans. He wanted her badly.  
  
"I'm doing it." James said, out loud and not realizing it.  
  
"Huh? What?" Sirius jerked his head up.  
  
"I'm breaking up with her this week, officially." He said, extremely sure of himself.  
  
"Well that was quick." Peter said. "Why the sudden change?"  
  
"Let's just say my, uh, eyes have wandered over to something else." He said, still looking at Lily.  
  
"Well it's about bloody time." Sirius said. "I figured one of you was going to burst."  
  
"What?" James asked, a bit annoyed.  
  
"Oh come on, it's so obvious Prongs. You've wanted Lily for months." Peter said.  
  
"No I haven't." he protested.  
  
"Oh please. The sudden guilt, the wandering eyes. If you hadn't done something about it by Christmas I would have locked you two in a room so that you could get it over with." Sirius said.  
  
"Fuck you." James said, still defending himself.  
  
"If I could I would, my friend." He said.  
  
"You know that makes you a fag right?" James said.  
  
"If liking the way I look makes me a fag, then you are the Queen of the Cock Sucking Fairies, bitch."  
  
The class halted. Sirius had said this louder than he should have. Professor Sinistra stopped talking and shot the two disrupters an unpleased glare. Students erupted into laughter and chuckles, including the girls.  
  
"What just happened?" Diana asked, after she was done laughing.  
  
"I think Black and Potter just came out." Lily said, smirking. They looked behind them to see that the cheeks of both boys were beat red.  
  
"That's enough, that's enough!" Sinistra cried. She looked at her watch to see that it read 1:00. "Class dismissed. We will continue this next week." She said, shaking her head.  
  
The girls grabbed their things and walked over to the boys.  
  
"I am so proud Black." Diana said, smirking. "Really I am." She put her hand over her heart.  
  
"Yes, we knew you'd come around and declare your love." Lily said. "It's sweet."  
  
"Shut up." They said in unison.  
  
"Oh, sensitive." Diana said, putting a hand on Sirius' shoulder. She winked at him and let her arm drop on it's own.  
  
Diana and Sirius had gotten along reasonably well lately. As long as neither of them went out of their way to make the other miserable, they remained friendly. Diana realized after the first few weeks that she liked it better that way. And Sirius occasionally helped her in Divination. Trelawney had made them become partners to stop the fighting, and it had worked. She didn't mind, and he used any excuse to be around her. The funny thing was that Diana never really needed help, but asked him to do it anyway. She realized that he made her laugh, something Lucius never did.  
  
"Well should go, it's late." Nicole reminded them. They made their way down the stairs. When they got to the bottom the boys paused. They had a different agenda and had no intention of going back to the common room. The girls proceeded but turned around when the boys didn't budge.  
  
"What are you lot standing around for?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow. "The common room is this way." She said, pointing down the hall.  
  
"We'll uh, be up later." James said, hoping it would be sufficient. It wasn't.  
  
"Later? Why, where are you going?" Diana asked, hugging her parchment closer to her chest. She sounded like a little schoolgirl.  
  
"Uh, a walk." Sirius said. They weren't very good liars. The four girls just looked at each other. Now more eager than ever.  
  
"A walk?" Diana repeated. She shook her head. "Listen if you want, you can have your little gang bang in our dorm. Me and Lily have a video camera."  
  
"Ew, you are sick Renton." James said, making a face. "And what the hell is a video camera?"  
  
Lily found this terribly amusing. "It's uh...never mind." she said, not knowing how to really explain it. "Well, have fun chaps, and use protection."  
  
All three of them made a face, even though they knew they were joking.  
  
"That's right. And try not to be too messy about it. Those stains are incredibly difficult to remove." Diana said.  
  
"Ugh!" they yelled, shuddering at the thought.  
  
"That's so nasty Renton." Sirius said, not removing his scowl.  
  
"I know." She said. Then they waved goodnight and the girls went up to the common room and to sleep. The boys slipped outside under James' cloak. Peter, the rat, slipped under the Whomping Willow and pressed the knot. The stag and the dog, James and Sirius respectively, followed through the passageway to the Shrieking Shack. Remus was there. They stayed there the remainder of the night, keeping Remus company through his secret monthly torture.  
  
*The Next Day.....  
  
They had all gathered to go to breakfast. They were tired because they hadn't gotten much sleep and classes started at 8:30. They dragged their feet and plopped down on the benches, eating whatever was in their field of vision. Sirius got up and brought them all coffee. It had become habit by now.  
  
Remus was back. The moon weaned just enough so that it was no longer full, and Remus could become himself again. Each time it was over he spent the next month dreading when it would come again. He also knew that at some point he would have to tell Nicole, or she might figure it out on her own. The thought chilled him. After all this time he realized how in love with her he actually was.  
  
They were woken up slightly by the sound of the mail arriving. The screeching of the owls startled them, but woke them up just the same. Two letters were plopped in front of Diana and Lily. James was given the Daily Prophet, which he cut in half with Sirius.  
  
"What's it say?" Lily yawned as Diana opened her letter. She read it to herself.  
  
"It's from my Mum and Dad." She said, casually. "They want to come and see me play on the 22nd. My dad has that week off." She said.  
  
"Are you staying here for the holiday Renton?" Sirius asked, taking a sip of his coffee.  
  
"Well, they said I could but when they get here they might ask me to come back with them. Oh I am so not in the mood for that." She said. "Are you?"  
  
"Yep. My Mum and Dad are taking a holiday in Egypt." He said.  
  
"On Christmas?" Lily asked.  
  
"I've been to Egypt. It's a beautiful country." Diana said, folding the letter in half.  
  
"Oh yea, when?" James asked, still reading.  
  
"Well I've been there with my Mum a bunch of times. She's scouted players for Puddlemere United, and we visit my family-"  
  
"You have family in Egypt?" Sirius asked. "You don't look Egyptian."  
  
"I know. I look like my dad. I am actually 1/16 Egyptian, so it's really not that much. I just have a great grandmother there and some third cousins or something. My mother was actually born in Argentina, so-"  
  
"Oh, a Latina." James mockingly said. Diana chuckled.  
  
"Hell yea. Where do you think this ass comes from?" she jokingly said. Lily snorted.  
  
"Oh yea, because Figg is really Hispanic." She said, sarcastically.  
  
"Figg?" Remus suddenly joined in. "You're mother's last name is Figg?" he suddenly became very interested.  
  
"Yes." She said, as if it was common knowledge.  
  
"As in the Ravenclaw Figgs?" he asked, and stopped eating.  
  
"Oh he's a smart one." Lily said, and looked at Diana.  
  
"I don't understand. You're a Gryffindor." Sirius said.  
  
"I know, but my Mum wasn't. She was a Ravenclaw. Actually, my whole line was in Ravenclaw. It's one of those things where, if my dad was a wizard, he'd be a Gryffindor, so that's why I was sorted here."  
  
"Ok, but why does Remus know that?" James asked.  
  
"I read about them, in Hogwarts, a History. They were one of the first families sorted. In fact, as I recall, Aurora Figg was the cousin of Rowena Ravenclaw."  
  
"Holy shit." James said. "You're related to Rowena Ravenclaw?" he found this terribly fascinating. Lily knew all this so she wasn't the least bit fazed.  
  
"More or less." She said, casually and continued eating. "They moved to Egypt when the threat of Salazar Slytherin came about, you know, that whole thing. They were chased out so, that's how they became Egyptian. So you see, it's really nothing."  
  
"Actually I can sort of see the Egyptian. It's in your eyes." Sirius said.  
  
"Is that a compliment?" she asked. He nodded without looking up. "And what about my eyes?"  
  
"Oh it's nothing really. They are just sort of cat like, that's all. Not by much but, well, I can't explain it." he said, shaking his head. "Mysterious I guess."  
  
"Do you hear that Lily? Black thinks I'm mysterious." She said, amused.  
  
"Yea well don't take it to heart. You are just as plainly British as the rest of us. The only thing mysterious about you is the fact that you happen to own half the cats in the U.K." Lily said.  
  
"Huh?" James asked.  
  
"So I have a lot of cats at home. What's so mysterious about that?" she asked, defensively.  
  
"Exactly." Lily said, and stole a piece of her toast.  
  
"So you like cats?" Sirius asked, hoping to get to know her more than he already did.  
  
"Oh I love them." Diana smiled at his question. "I have four of my own at home."  
  
"Well that's not that many. What are their names?" Sirius asked. He had improved greatly on his conversation skills.  
  
"Well, there's Persephone, Eurydice, Aphrodite, and Isis, my favorite."  
  
Sirius chuckled at the names.  
  
"I know. She's insane." Lily said.  
  
"So tell me-" Sirius began.  
  
"Will you excuse me for a moment?" Diana asked, looking past him. Lucius had motioned her over and she quickly got up and went over to the Slytherin table. He got up and met her half way. He kissed her and then took her hand. He sat him next to her and whispered something in her ear.  
  
"Why didn't you come back last night?" he whispered.  
  
"I had class. And I was tired." She replied.  
  
"I was waiting for you." He said, and caressed her thigh with his index finger. She shivered.  
  
"I'm sorry." She said, and covered his hand with hers.  
  
"I suppose now you will have to make it up to me." He said, and kissed her neck. She blushed.  
  
"Now? Its too early." She said, as she felt him run his finger down her back.  
  
"No, not now, but tonight though. I plan on keeping you after hours." He said with a sly smile. She returned it.  
  
"I guess so." She said, as she proceeded to get up.  
  
"Oh, and Arabella.." He said. She turned. He never addressed her by any other name.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Bring the skirt."  
  
She smiled, nodded and made her way back to the table, and a very jealous Sirius Black. As soon as she got there the bell had rung and people began to get up and go to their respective classes. The day went just like any other day: Homework, assignments, etc. It was after classes, when Lily had to tutor Narcissa, when something actually happened. They met in the library every day at 3:00.  
  
"Hey Lily." Narcissa said, in a relatively cheerful tone.  
  
"Hi Narcissa." She said, and smiled. "Did you finish that essay on incantations I asked you to do for me?"  
  
Lily gave Narcissa extra homework to do, with the permission of Professor Flitwick. She was becoming more and more like a teacher every day.  
  
"Yep." She said, and handed it to Lily. She surveyed it, briefly, nodded and put it with her other pieces of parchment.  
  
They were working for about a half and hour when they both noticed James walk in. He didn't notice them though. He was returning a book and went quickly to an aisle looking for another one. It was when he spotted Lily's scarlet hair through the bookshelf that he saw them. Shit, he though. She was with Narcissa.  
  
James decided at that moment that it was now or never. He had a dream about Lily the previous night, one he did not plan on having. One that made him sweat. One that made him cry out. It jolted him awake so fast that he was breathing in and out heavily, grasping for air. He went to the bathroom and sat on the cold, hard tile, thinking about her, her lips, her tongue, her eyes, her intoxicating emerald eyes. It was too much. He never went back to sleep.  
  
I have to end it, I have to end it now, he thought. He made up his mind, then walked over to their table.  
  
"Hey ladies." He said, cheerfully, although he felt himself overheat.  
  
"Hi Potter." Lily said, staring at the parchment in front of her.  
  
"Hi James." Narcissa said and smiled.  
  
"Uh, Cissa, can I talk to you for a minute?" he said, trying not to stutter.  
  
"Of course honey." She said, and pushed her chair back.  
  
Honey, he thought. Oh God. This was going to be difficult. They went behind a bookcase on the other side of the library, near the restricted section. He was about to speak when she silenced him with her mouth. Clearly, she had misread him.  
  
"No, Cissa wait." He said, when she had pulled away.  
  
"What? This is not what you took me back here for?" she asked, and poked him playfully. He let out a reluctant chuckle.  
  
"Um, actually-"  
  
"You know James, I've been thinking.." she started.  
  
"Yea?" he asked, afraid of what she was going to say.  
  
"We've been dating for, what, three months now?"  
  
"Um, I suppose." He said, squirming.  
  
"Well, don't you think that we should take this relationship to the next level?" she asked, twirling her hair, but not in a cute way, in an annoying way.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked, and leaned back on the bookcase, feeling like his knees were going to come out from under him.  
  
"Well, we have made love, more than once." She said.  
  
Made love? James thought. His breath was getting shorter. "Yea but-"  
  
"Do you love me James?" she asked, out of the blue. He just stared at her, not having a legitimate answer for her.  
  
"Um...uh...well..." he wiped his forehead with his sleeve. She was growing impatient.  
  
"Well, do you?" she asked. She was starting to squirm as well.  
  
James took two deep breaths before answering her. "Listen...Narcissa. The reason I asked you back here was to tell you-"  
  
She put her hand over her mouth. "Cissa..." he said, seeing that she was already getting upset. She knew what was coming.  
  
"No, don't." she said, fighting back tears. " I know what you're going to say."  
  
"I just think that, maybe, uh, maybe we should take a little break for a while." James chose his words carefully. "I care about you, I do, but, I think we maybe a little much for each other right now. I don't want to hurt you so I am ending it now, for our own good."  
  
She started to cry. "but.." Her lips were quivering. "But, I love you." She said, in between sniffles.  
  
"I love you too but-" he stopped. He couldn't believe a lie like that came so easily to him. He was mortified and knew he would never live that down. And Narcissa would always remember him saying that, always.  
  
"So then? Why do we need a break? I'll tell you why, it's YOU that needs a break isn't it?" she said, getting angry now. "You think that just because you're James Potter that you can just fuck anyone you please. You know what? Fine! Leave me here, leave me all alone, you obviously don't care about anyone but yourself."  
  
"Now listen-"  
  
"I have listened. Good bye James." She said, and ran back to Lily.  
  
"What the hell happened to you?" Lily asked, looking up from the essay she was proofreading. Narcissa had very loopy handwriting, a kind that was difficult to read. She had to squint to understand it.  
  
Narcissa sat down. "He..." she paused, fighting back tears again. Lily saw James grab a book and dash over to the checkout counter. He glanced one last time at the table before bolting for the door.  
  
"...broke up with me!" Narcissa cried, extremely loudly. The she broke out into a flood of uncontrollable tears. Lily had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at how pathetic she was. People were starting to stare so Lily knew she had to do something to correct the situation before they were kicked out.  
  
"Oh sweety." She said, pretending that she cared. Well, she did care, but she was more relieved than concerned about it. She engulfed Narcissa into a sympathetic hug and shushed her until she stopped crying. Out of the corner of Lily's mouth crept a small smile. So, she thought. James Potter is single again..  
  
That Night..about 1:00am...  
  
James, Sirius, Peter and Remus were in the common room, alone. They were each surrounding a table with a bunch of papers on it. In the middle laid an open book. It was the red one, Diana's book, and the one about Maps.  
  
"This is really frustrating." Peter said.  
  
They had been at it since before dinner. They were trying to figure out a way to create their own map. One that would get them through Hogwarts undetected. The one that would get them to Hogsmeade and back in a fair amount of time. It was a complicated task, and an ancient one at that. They were unfamiliar with the process, so there was much research involved.  
  
"I don't get it. How does it know when there is someone coming?" James asked, flipping the pages of a library book about maps in general."  
  
"Magic, you dumb ass." Sirius said, rubbing his eyes. He felt he hadn't blinked in over an hour.  
  
"So is this going to be just of Hogwarts, or are we doing Hogsmeade too?" Remus asked.  
  
"Just Hogwarts." James answered. "Everything else is too advanced. Besides, that's all we need. That and the passages to Hogsmeade. Any luck with that Peter, by the way?"  
  
Peter's job was to try and find the passages to and from Hogsmeade. He wasn't very good at it, and had gotten nowhere. He had given up after only a few weeks, and spent the rest of the time raiding the Hogwarts Kitchens.  
  
"Uh...no not yet, but I'm close." He lied. James knew it too, and decided to take matters into his own hands.  
  
"So Prongs." Remus started, trying to keep himself awake. "I, uh, heard about Silverton. What a shame." He said, shaking his head in fake dissapointment.  
  
"Yea, she, um, didn't take it that well I heard." Sirius said, trying not to laugh.  
  
"Oh shut up, both of you. It was the most dreadful thing I have ever had to do." He said, trying to retain some integrity.  
  
"Bullshit, like you've never broken up with a girl before." Peter said.  
  
"That's not the point Wormtail. She was different, and not in a good way. At least all the others knew where they stood with me." He said, cockily.  
  
Sirius just glared at him. "Oh my god, you are a prick. See I knew that eventually you were going to attract some wacko and I was right. She'll come back to haunt you, my friend, mark my words."  
  
"Who are you?" James asked, flabbergasted. "Where the hell did my lying, cheating, two-timing friend go? I swear ever since this year you have done a complete 180 on me, and without warning might I add. What has gotten in to you? You have been totally antagonistic to me when it comes to girls, and that's what I used to love about our friendship. You know, the fact that we..felt the same way about certain things."  
  
"People change." Remus said.  
  
"No they don't." James said.  
  
"Yes they do." Peter said. "Just look at how Sirius feels about Diana."  
  
"So they get along now, so what." James said.  
  
"And look at how you feel about Lily." Remus said.  
  
James was at a loss for words. This was true. "Yea, well..ok I guess you're right. Happy?"  
  
"Yep." Sirius said.  
  
Suddenly they heard a door open and close quickly. Their heads jolted up and the sound. They usually worked on it when no one was in the common room, and had to pretend to do homework.  
  
Lily stepped out, tired and in her pajamas. She was holding a book in her hand and seemed to be a little taken back when she saw the boys downstairs, and working.  
  
"What are you four doing up?" she asked, her voice a bit raspy. She looked at the clock on the wall. "It's after one."  
  
"We know." James said, not looking up. "Why aren't you asleep?"  
  
"I couldn't." she said.  
  
"Why not?" Sirius asked.  
  
She shrugged. "What are you working on?" she asked, interested. She plopped down the stairs.  
  
"Uh.."James started. "Stuff."  
  
"Ok then." She said. She wasn't really listening anyway. "I'm just going to read down here ok? I hope I'm not in the way."  
  
"You're not." Remus said.  
  
Then they heard the door to the common room open. Diana walked through, tired but in a pleasant mood nonetheless. They just stared at her. She was wearing a skirt, the black one from the first day of school.  
  
"It's late Renton." Sirius said. She stopped.  
  
"Yes I know." She said.  
  
"It's after one." Lily pointed to the clock. Diana looked at it and nodded.  
  
"So it is."  
  
"Where did you guys go this time?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, we just..grabbed a bite that's all." She said, airily.  
  
James and Sirius started to chuckle.  
  
"And which one were you?" James asked, with an impish smile across his face.  
  
"Sorry?" she asked, turning to face them.  
  
"What he means is..." Sirius started, still laughing. "Were you doing the grabbing, or the biting?  
  
She scowled, but it quickly turned into a smirk. "What do you think?" she asked, somewhat rhetorically.  
  
"Hmmm." Sirius said, pretending to think. "Neither."  
  
"Neither?" she said, tilting her head to the side.  
  
"No. I would think you are more of the sucking type of you ask me. Your mouth looks like it can swallow a lot of-"  
  
"And on that note." Remus began, getting up, trying desperately to get Sirius to not finish that sentence. "I'm going to bed."  
  
"Yea me too." Peter said, and yawned. They both went upstairs. Sirius threw down his quill and closed the book.  
  
"Me too." He said, pushing the chair out from under him. "Coming Prongs?" he asked.  
  
"Yea I just want to finish this first." He said.  
  
Sirius nodded.  
  
"I'm tired Lily, but I'll talk to you tomorrow alright?" Diana said, heading for the stairs. Lily nodded and shooed her off.  
  
"Goodnight Black." She said when they were both at the top of the stairs.  
  
"Goodnight Renton." He said.  
  
"Oh, and by the way." She said, halting for a moment. He stopped and looked at her. She inched up closer to his face. "You were right about the sucking part."  
  
He said nothing, but he didn't know if she should be annoyed or aroused. She smiled, somewhat evilly, and walked into her dorm, closing the door behind her.  
  
"Whoa." Was all he could get out. He didn't know how much longer he could stand it. So instead, he went to his dormitory, and made his feeble attempts at sleeping, most unsuccessfully.  
  
Lily and James were downstairs alone. Lily was reading while James was studying. It was James who noticed they were alone first, and became a little nervous at the thought. He stopped what he was doing and turned to see her head in a book.  
  
"What are you reading?" he asked, trying to break the deafening silence. Her head propped up instantly.  
  
"Oh, just some Muggle book my Dad sent me." She said, shrugging.  
  
"Well, what's it called?"  
  
"Gone With the Wind." She said, somewhat embarrassed.  
  
"Isn't that a movie?" he asked, fully turning around.  
  
"Yea, but the book is so much better." She said, flipping through the pages. He nodded.  
  
"So, uh, what are you doing up this late?" he asked, again.  
  
"I told you I couldn't sleep. I would read in my room but I didn't feel like searching for a candle so I just came down here. I like it down here anyway." She said, and cracked a smile.  
  
"You know we have practice in a couple of hours right?" he said, slightly changing the subject.  
  
"Yes I know." She answered, sighing. "It's ok, I can do it."  
  
"Oh I know you can." He said, getting up from his chair and making his way over to the couch. There is an uncomfortable pause for a minute, and Lily opened her book again.  
  
"So..." he began, running his fingers through his hair. "I guess you heard about me and Narcissa huh?" she looked up again.  
  
"The whole school heard James." She said. "And you do remember I was in the room right?"  
  
"Oh right." He stupidly said. "So Lily?"  
  
"Yea?" she asked.  
  
"May I?" he asked, pointing to the spot next to her on the couch.  
  
"Why?" she looked at him, uncertain. He sat down anyway.  
  
"Um." he began, not knowing how to phrase his words.  
  
"Is there something you want to tell me James?" she asked, impatiently closing the book and tossing it aside.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to hide it.  
  
"Well you are speaking very inarticulately to me. That's not like you." She said.  
  
He smiled. "No I guess not."  
  
"I'm going to bed now Potter. Goodnight." She said, and proceeded to get up. He watched her climb the stairs, a little disappointed. Then again, he didn't know why he wanted to talk to her anyway. Then he remembered.  
  
"Hold on Evans." He said. She turned around. "I remembered what I wanted to ask you." He said. She rolled her eyes and walked back down the steps.  
  
"What?" she said when they were face to face.  
  
Then, without thinking he grabbed her by the waist and forced her to his lips. She put her arms around his waist and kissed him back. The kiss was blazing, long and passionate. It lasted for a minute when Lily reluctantly pulled away.  
  
She couldn't wipe the smile off of her face.  
  
"What?" he asked, insecurely. He wasn't expecting this kind of reaction.  
  
"Nothing." She said, and turned. He grabbed her arm and turned her back to face him. "It's just that, well...you've been practicing this, haven't you?"  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked, and let go of her.  
  
"You've thought about it, I can tell." She said, still smiling.  
  
"I have not." He lied.  
  
"It's ok." She said. "I'll see you tomorrow." She said, and tapped his shoulder.  
  
"Talk about ruining the moment." He said, and put his hands on his hips.  
  
"I didn't ruin anything." She said, plainly. "But I will tell you one thing."  
  
"Oh yea what's that?" he asked, amused by her casual attitude.  
  
"You Mister Potter.." She said. "Well, it was a little weak, but, you certainly know what you're doing."  
  
"Weak?" Now he was getting annoyed.  
  
"It's ok, you can try again, some other time." She said, from the top of the stairs. Then she gave him a flirtatious wink, and went into her dormitory. When she closed the door she let out a loud but satisfied sigh. That prominent smile never leaving her face.  
  
James didn't know what to make of that. It had certainly worked out differently than he had expected. He shook his head and put his hands on his hips. Lily Evans was different. She was special, and he knew it. He was smiling too, and he made his way to the stairs and to his dorm. Sirius was wide-awake but said nothing. He looked at James briefly and noticed immediately his change in mood.  
  
"What?" Sirius asked, curiously.  
  
"Nothing." James said simply. "Women."  
  
Sirius smiled at his friend, and immediately understood.  
  
"Women." He repeated, as they laughed at their common misfortune.  
  
*~~~(See I told you it was long, but I explained a lot of things that needed to be explained. I finished it at 4am, by the way. Anyway, thanks everyone. Cookies and lollipops to all!!! I don't have time on this chapter to thank you individually, but soon. Thanks, and review!)~~~~~~ 


	15. The Second Chance

Disclaimer: see previous chapters. I am apologizing for the excessive sex jokes in this chapter. I was in the mood for some twisted conversations. If you don't like it, take it in strides. I am all over the place!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*The next morning..December 16  
  
"Well don't you look happy this morning." Diana noticed as Lily treaded into their dorm. She simply shrugged. "What happened?"  
  
"Nothing, really." Lily said, trying to hide her smile.  
  
"Liar." Diana replied. "But if you don't want to tell me you were snogging Potter last night, then it's fine with me." She said, offhand and proceeded to get ready.  
  
"What?" Lily asked, shocked. She was almost certain no one saw. "How did you-"  
  
"I have my ways, darling." She said, overemphasizing her accent. "And I'm glad." She said, with a sincere smile.  
  
"It wasn't really anything though. It only lasted-"  
  
"It doesn't matter how long it lasted. What's important is how good it was." She said with a crooked smile. "Was it good?"  
  
Lily blushed for the second time in her life. Then for no reason at all she started to laugh. She felt butterflies in her stomach and tried to wriggle them away. Diana found this behaviour incredibly hilarious. She had never seen Lily act this way over someone, let alone James Potter.  
  
"Oh I see." Diana said, and chuckled along with her. "Well at least he lives up to that reputation."  
  
Lily stopped and put her hand over her chest to suppress her happiness. She ran her hand through her hair and shook her head.  
  
"Oh Diana, what the hell is the matter with me?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know. Is it possible that this is not just sexual? Could it be that you actually like him? A lot?" Diana asked, inquisitively.  
  
Lily straitened up. "No, definitely not." She said, extremely sure of herself. "He's too, well, self centred for me. I can't really put my finger on it, but he still gets on my nerves a bit. And the way he just broke up with Narcissa, like, ten hours before he made the moves on me." She said, deep in thought. "It just seemed a little cruel, don't you think?"  
  
"People break up with people all the time sweetheart. I didn't really see it as a big deal."  
  
"But you didn't see her with him. She seemed, so...in love. It was actually really sad. Didn't you notice the way she acted every time she was around? I can tell, she really felt something for him." Lily said. "She would tell me all the time."  
  
"Looks like you two got close." Diana said, raising an eyebrow. "And anyway, it's her fault for falling for such a player anyway. In fact, I am really surprised that it actually lasted more than a month."  
  
"Mm Hmm. I noticed that too. Which is why it bothered me later that he just dropped her like that." Lily had spent all last night thinking about it. She overanalysed it in her head so many times that she had come up with all sorts of reasons, but none of them made sense.  
  
"You don't care, I know you. You are thrilled that he's single now, and you can have him all to yourself." Diana said, fanning her away and looking around for her shoes.  
  
"I don't want him all to myself." She said, defending herself.  
  
"Oh yea, and why not?" she said, disbelievingly.  
  
"I don't know. I am not a relationship person. And I told you, I don't want to be a conquest. I don't want to be stupid and vulnerable. I don't want him to fuck me and leave me. I would just be..."  
  
"One of them." Diana said.  
  
"Exactly." She sighed. " I had my kiss, and it was nice. But anything else, well, I couldn't handle that. I am too strong for that."  
  
"Do you want to know what I think Lily?" Diana asked. "I think that you're in denial."  
  
"I am not-"  
  
"Oh Lily, Why don't you just admit that he gets under your skin-"  
  
"Diana-" Lily still tried to avoid this.  
  
"And you might really like him-" she had started to raise her voice.  
  
"Will you lower your voice-"  
  
"And that this just might be, something more than just a little chemistry. And if you want to know the truth, I think that he broke up with Silverton, for you."  
  
"Oh Diana don't be stupid." Lily said, gathering up her textbooks and parchment and shoving them into her schoolbag. "He just wanted some ass, and I happened to be there."  
  
"Lily why can't you just see what is happening to both of you?" Diana asked, exasperated. "You are both so hopelessly attracted to one another it is making us all rather ill."  
  
"He doesn't care Diana." Lily said. "Snagging me would be a triumph for him and his little group. I would hate myself if I became a cliché if I ended up--"  
  
"Let me finish. You're scared of actually feeling something for this Potter aren't you? A four-month long infatuation isn't exactly normal, you know. You don't want a relationship because you don't want to get hurt. Well that's what life is, dear. It's pain, and hurt, and laughter and love. You can't let life pass you by and then realize years later what could have been."  
  
"Yea." Lily reluctantly said. "So you think that by me and Potter dating or whatever will be some new revelation in my life? I don't want pain, plain and simple." She said. "If I can avoid getting my heart stomped on then you're damn right I will. That's all he'll do to me, Diana, don't you see that?"  
  
"You don't know that Lily. It's a gamble. Everything is a gamble. I don't know how things are going to turn out, no one does. You have got to take risks or else you'll end up alone and miserable." She said, getting a bit more serious.  
  
"Well that's not a happy thought."  
  
"No, it isn't." Diana said. "And I promise you Lily, that I will protect you when I can, but you have to get out there and have a life, a real one."  
  
"I have a life. Besides, talking about yours is a lot more interesting." Lily said, half kidding.  
  
"Oh is it now?" Diana said, rolling her eyes. "Hardly." She said, as she slipped on her shoes.  
  
Diana grabbed her parchment and her book bag and headed out the door. Lily followed. They didn't go pick up Nicole. She usually went down with Remus, at least lately. Diana and Lily didn't mind much. It seemed to them that they were in love, so they let them be. And it gave them an extra five minutes to sleep, which was more of a blessing than it sounded.  
  
They made their way to the great hall, both in reasonably good moods. They had both gotten some sort of action the night before, after all.  
  
"Um Lil?" Dian asked as Lily began walking over to the Gryffindor table.  
  
"Yea?" Lily asked when she realized Diana was not walking with her. "You coming?"  
  
"Well, no." Diana answered, hesitantly. "I said that I would, um, sit with Lucius this morning. He asked me to last night."  
  
"Why?" Lily asked, slightly perplexed. For the past few months Lily had felt she hated Malfoy even more. What was worse was the way Diana acted around him. She was different, and Lily didn't like it at all.  
  
"Lily, he's...my boyfriend." She sighed. "I can sit with them if I want to. Don't worry ok? It's just food. What will I miss? Another silly little Potter/Black conversation about how they don't serve enough cheese?" she joked, trying to soften the tension.  
  
Lily smiled. "Alright. I'll see you soon." She said, and plopped down on the bench next to Nicole. Diana walked over to the Slytherin table with a bright smile on her face, which Lily noticed. Lucius got up and hugged her tightly, and with actual feeling. They kissed and sat back down. Then a scary thought hit Lily. This was serious.  
  
"Morning Lily." Nicole said, cheerily. Lily smiled back.  
  
James was sitting in front of her, with Sirius to his left. Sirius gave a monotone good morning while James just looked up and subtly smiled. Lily returned it with girlish shyness. It was shyness that she had tried to avoid, so she collected herself quickly.  
  
"Why is Diana over there?" Nicole asked, when her eyes wandered over to the Slytherin table.  
  
"She appears to be eating dear." Remus said, glancing up for only a moment.  
  
"I can see that." She said. "So I guess they are, well, really serious." She said, looking at Lily for confirmation.  
  
"It would appear so. They are just eating. You speak as if it is some sort of turning point n their relationship." She said, trying desperately not to look up. If she looked up, she would see James eyes, and she didn't want to blush again.  
  
"Well it can be seen as that, and this is school. The rules are different here than in the real world." Remus said, putting his arm around Nicole.  
  
"How so?" Sirius said, looking up. He had refused to turn around and look.  
  
"Well, think of it this way. If she's sitting with him, and he asked her too, then it means that he wants to spend time with her, that is, outside his dorm. The fact that he wants to share a meal with her, and at his table no less, he is suggesting that he wants her part of his life in some way." Remus explained, professor like.  
  
Sirius grunted. "That is such a crock of shit."  
  
"Oh yea, come up with a better reason." Nicole said, defending Remus.  
  
"Black?" Katrina asked. She was seated next to Peter, who was seated on James' right.  
  
"Yes Miles?" he said, rather rudely.  
  
"The only one full of shit here at this table is you." She spat.  
  
"Oh." James said and started to chuckle. "Miles has got a stick up her ass this morning."  
  
"I do not!" she protested. "I am just getting really tired of hearing him bitch all day long. It is so obvious why. Just because he can't fuck Diana doesn't mean he has to have an attitude with the rest of us."  
  
"Kat-" Peter said, trying to calm down his "sometimes" girlfriend.  
  
"Peter, let me finish." She said, silencing him. "She is with Malfoy, ok? Now get it through your head and move the fuck on already. Date other girls." She said, talking with her hands, practically pleading with them.  
  
"Kat don't-" Lily started.  
  
"No." Sirius said. "You know what? You're right Miles."  
  
"I know." She said, getting back to her breakfast.  
  
"I need a life." Sirius said, taking charge.  
  
"You need a good fuck is what you need." James said.  
  
"Prongs-" Remus started.  
  
"No, he's right I need that too. I've been going to this horrid withdrawal." Sirius said, recapping the past three months.  
  
"What do you mean, like, blue balls?" James asked, so casually that it caused Lily to burst out in a fit of laughter. The bluntness of the comment she found hilarious. Remus looked appalled while Nicole tried not to laugh. Katrina was practically spitting out pumpkin juice through her nose, which caused Peter to laugh at her.  
  
James looked at Lily and thought how sweet she looked when she laughed. He felt even better when he was the cause of her happiness. A feeling hit him then and there. Despite how stupid the joke had been, he enjoyed that it made her happy, and his mind was still fixed on the kiss the night before. Her warm lips seem to just fit his perfectly, and looked just as delicious when she laughed.  
  
"I think that was a little too much information." Lily said, in between giggles. "And Sirius, there are other ways to relieve yourself, you know."  
  
"Oh I've jerked off. It is just not enough anymore." He said.  
  
"You might want to lower your voices just a bit. The younger years can hear you." Nicole said, although she was laughing too.  
  
"Listen to him." Remus said. "The lament of a man going through forced abstinence."  
  
"It's not forced." Lily said. "He chooses to be miserable. It makes him feel deep and introspective."  
  
"Maybe we should get him laid Lil, what do you think?" Katrina asked.  
  
"Oh sure." She said. "You first." She said, sarcastically.  
  
"This is all very sweet, really, but I can get laid on my own thanks." Sirius said. "And despite how much I love talking about my sex life-"  
  
"Or lack thereof." James chimed in. Sirius sneered at him.  
  
"Let's drop it." He said, as the mail started to arrive. The Daily Prophet landed in front of them and once again, James and Sirius split it in half.  
  
"Let me get this strait." Peter started. "Does Diana know you're in love with her?"  
  
"I am NOT in love with her!" Sirius said, disgusted at the comment.  
  
"Well if you're not then-"  
  
"Listen Wormtail. I don't love her. She is too impossible to love. All I want is to penetrate her tight, wet-"  
  
"What?!" Diana screeched, appearing behind them. Sirius turned deathly pale in a matter of half a second. James just looked down and Lily put her hand over her mouth.  
  
"Oh my God." Sirius whispered, mortified. He wasn't sure how much she had heard.  
  
"Oh don't be embarrassed in front of me Black." Diana said. "I'm glad you finally found a girl to put you out of your misery." She said, in a calmer tone. She put one hand on his shoulder. "God knows you could use it."  
  
"Uh, right, thanks." He said, sighing loudly out of relief. She didn't hear, he thought. He was about to do the sign of the cross, but quickly caught himself.  
  
"What's up Diana?" Lily asked.  
  
"Oh, right. This letter came addressed to the both of us. It's from both of our parents." She said, and handed it to her. Then she looked around at all of their faces. "what's so bloody funny?" she asked, crossing her arms.  
  
"Nothing." James said, still smirking.  
  
"So my parents are staying with yours?" Lily asked, when she was finished reading.  
  
"Yea. They both want to come to the game next week, and it is the start of break so they have that week off." Diana explained.  
  
"But their not staying in London." Lily said, skimming the letter.  
  
"No, they're staying at my family's summer house in Alexandria. They figured they'd make the trip up together." Diana said, shrugging.  
  
"Where's Alexandria?" Peter asked, a little lost.  
  
"Egypt." Sirius and James said in unison.  
  
"Well this sounds good to me, Ana." Lily said.  
  
"Just one thing Lily." Diana said. "What about your sister?"  
  
"Oh Petunia?" she asked. "It was established during the summer that she was going to spend Christmas at my grandparents' in Maybury. She should be happy about that. She is going a whole seven months without me." She said, a bit relieved herself.  
  
"Where's Maybury?" Peter asked again.  
  
"Surrey!" Sirius said.  
  
"Honestly Peter." James said, shaking his head.  
  
"That's basically it." Diana said, looking at her watch, then back at the Slytherin table.  
  
"Alright." Lily said. "See you later."  
  
"Bye everyone. And Black?" Diana said.  
  
His head perked up.  
  
"See you next period." She said, gave a quick smile and ran back to Malfoy.  
  
Then the bell rang and everyone went to his or her respective classes. Lily suddenly remembered that she had Arithmancy first, and it was with James. Her stomach tingled again, and she was somewhat reluctant to go. She figured if she got up slow enough that he would just get up and go without her.  
  
Sirius glanced back at the Slytherin table and vowed privately that he was going to get over that girl, and stop this silly infatuation that wasn't going to go anywhere. He made up his mind to find someone new. Today, he thought. I'll find someone today. He saw Lucius take Diana's hand, by the wrist and lead her out the door. A pain of jealousy ran through Sirius, and thanked god for not putting Lucius in Divination.  
  
Remus and Nicole were already halfway up the North Tower stairs, holding hands and chatting. Lily breathed a sigh of relief when she looked around and didn't see James at the table anymore. Slightly more confidant she walked through the doors to the great hall only to be pulled back by a very sly James Potter.  
  
"Thought you'd slip past me eh?" he asked, leaning against the wall. "I know your tricks."  
  
"Do you?" she asked, a little taken back.  
  
"Oh yes. You were going to try to avoid me. It's alright. You barely made eye contact with me at breakfast. I have to say I was rather hurt." He said, trying to sound sarcastic, even though it was the truth.  
  
She pushed down her butterflies, and tried her best to retain her usual demeanour. "I'm sorry. I thought, being the man that you are, that a silly little insignificant thing like eye contact wouldn't bother you. I thought we established where you stood with me very clearly." She said, hugging her books closer to her chest, trying to slow down the beating of her own heart.  
  
"Where I stand with you?" he asked rather humorously. "Well, it seems I have underestimated you just a bit Evans. I am impressed."  
  
"You should be. There's a lot you underestimate." She said, more sensually than normal.  
  
He stepped back and a crooked smile crept across his face. "Is that so?" he asked, as they began to walk to class. When they were in front of the door he stopped her. He leaned in closer to her ear. "So when to I get that second chance?" he whispered softly. Lily had to keep her knees locked in order to keep from toppling over.  
  
She just chuckled at him, smiled and went in, her hands shaking. All of this was foreign to Lily, and she was still getting used to it. James just scratched his head and followed her inside.  
  
~"So Black, who is she?" Diana curiously asked in the middle of Divination. The class was in the middle of reviewing Palmistry before their mid year exam.  
  
"Who?" he asked, trying to understand the textbook.  
  
"The girl?" she said.  
  
"Oh." He said and then realized that he had to think of a person quickly. He surveyed the room when his eyes immediately stopped on a sixth year Ravenclaw by the name of Rebecca Winters. She was tall and buxom and Sirius was attracted to her on sight.  
  
Diana noticed that his eyes stopped on her and she knew. "Winters huh?" she said. "Well, she's beautiful Black. Watch out for her though, I hear she's quite the harlot."  
  
"Harlot?" he smirked.  
  
"Yea, she's easy, you know. But what am I saying? That's what you want so I'll just shut up now." She just said and made a lock and key motion on her lips. Sirius found it cute.  
  
"So Renton." He began. "You and Malfoy seem very close."  
  
"You could say that," she sighed, not making eye contact.  
  
"So what does he do, exactly, to get you in such a mood?" he half kidded. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know or not. She smiled at some thought and he noticed. Then she started to giggle.  
  
"What?" he asked, incredibly curious.  
  
"No, you'll laugh at me." She said, waving her hand trying to dismiss it.  
  
"No I won't I promise, what is it?"  
  
"It's a bit uncomfortable. No, it's too weird, not with you." She said, shaking her head.  
  
"I resent that Renton, that hurts me." He said, pretending to be upset. "Here I am, thinking we're about to bond and," he paused for dramatic effect and put his fist over his mouth, faking intense disappointment. "You're just withholding. I tell you whom I want to sleep with and I confide in you. So yes, that hurts me."  
  
She laughed. "Ok, ok, just don't cry Black, please."  
  
"I'll try." He said, his voice squeaking. She laughed again.  
  
"No, it's just that, oh my god I can't believe I'm telling you this, um...."  
  
"Well?" he asked, intertwining his fingers and leaning in closer. She motioned his face closer and she looked around, making sure no one heard. She whispered something into his ear and his mouth grew wide in personal disgust. There was that jealousy again, he noticed, but didn't show it for a moment. He pulled away slowly and just gaped at her. She was all red.  
  
"Oh, shit, see? I told you."  
  
Sirius was slightly at a loss for words. "Yea ok you're right, that was weird, and we shouldn't do that anymore." He said, although there was a hint of mocking in his voice. "That was a little more than I had bargained for." She smiled again and covered her face with her hands.  
  
"Asshole." She whispered. "How dare you." She mocked.  
  
"Well what do you want me to say? Ok, Well Renton that was very....he is..certainly complementary." He said, as if nodding in approval. She found his response very comical.  
  
"Hey you wanted to know." She said, as if saying that it wasn't her fault.  
  
"That I did." He said, agreeing.  
  
"Excuse me, Miss Renton, Mr Black? Would you care to tell me what in Merlin's name you are doing over here. Have you interpreted your futures yet?" Professor Trelawney inquired.  
  
"Yes." Diana answered. "We're doing it now."  
  
"Well, I don't see you reading Mr. Black's palm." She spat, putting her hands on her hips.  
  
"Right." Diana said, and grabbed his hand off of his lap. She pretended to look at it with interest.  
  
"Well?" Professor Trelawney asked, not moving.  
  
Diana had to think of something quickly. "Um, uh, well.." she looked into Sirius's eyes. "I see...beauty, um, in his life." She said, pretending to be serious.  
  
"Really? Very interesting...." Trelawney pondered intently. "What sort of beauty? Can you be more specific?"  
  
Diana had to think again. "Uh, physical...as well as personal. I see, uh, one in particular, a woman, and....completeness." she said with a sigh.  
  
"Excellent!" Professor Trelawney cried, enthralled in her prediction. "Students? Everyone? These two have made a perfect example of our lesson today. Miss Renton here has made an excellent prediction." She said, clapping at her. She just shrugged. "I believe you may have the inner eye Miss Renton." She said, glowing. "yes, the precious gift is a burden, but when we can use it wisely and for the benefit of others, well, that is when we know our true purpose in life."  
  
"Yes Professor, thank you." Diana said, trying not to burst into laughter. When Trelawney walked away neither of them could contain themselves. Diana collapsed on the table, practically panting.  
  
"Can I have my hand back Renton?" Sirius asked, in between laughs.  
  
"Oh yea." She said, and quickly let go. "Oh that was too fun." She said, wiping her eyes. They were tearing.  
  
"You should see your face, it is all red and puffy."  
  
"Thanks." She said, suddenly self-conscious. "I'm glad you are around to point out my imperfections."  
  
"No problem." He said. "That's what I'm here for."  
  
**"Three weeks." Remus said to Nicole from the other side of the room. They were both studying the couple that was Diana and Sirius and found them quite entertaining.  
  
"No I say three months." Nicole said, shaking her head.  
  
"Months? You're mad. Look at them." He said.  
  
"I see, but you forget that Diana has a boyfriend, and quite a demanding one at that. No, she is too taken with Malfoy. I say three months."  
  
"Would you like to wager that my dear?" he asked.  
  
"Absolutely." She said, smirking.  
  
"Five Galleons." He said.  
  
"No!" she protested. "That's way too much!"  
  
"Well you seem so sure you're right." He said imperturbably.  
  
"Three." She demanded.  
  
"Five." He said, again, casually.  
  
"Ugh, fine, you big baby. God you are such a big bad wolf when it comes to money." She said, getting back to their assignment. Remus pretended he didn't hear her.  
  
Before they all knew it, it was last period already, and it was Potions. Instead of Lily, this time Diana sat With Lucius and Snape. This slightly bothered Lily but she figured ti was only for one day. There was nothing wrong with wanting to spend a little time with your boyfriend during class, even if he was a nasty, vile, blood-sucking Slytherin like Malfoy, Lily figured. She just let it go and worked alone. Nicole and Remus waved her over to them but she declined. She said she would get more work done on her own.  
  
Diana turned around a couple of times and mouthed an "I'm sorry" to Lily, who just smiled and mouthed, "Don't worry about it" in return.  
  
Lily and James exchanged several glances during class and he smiled at her on more than one occasion. The whole day was unbearable for the both of them. James didn't even remember what had happened that day in any of his classes. He spent all of Arithmancy staring at her, and picturing her in his mind, in various situations and positions. The rest of the day was a blur.  
  
Lily tried desperately hard to concentrate on the Belladonna in front of her. She felt like a little girl. She knew he kept looking at her, and she figured that in some way she could use this hidden power to her advantage. The attraction was clear to the both of them, and there was definitely chemistry. But then Lily thought, could she ever grow to love James Potter? No, she told herself. Keep the streak good; don't turn the tables on him, she thought. He did taste good though, she thought. Like peppermint tea and honey. She began to grow hot.  
  
After an unbearable ninety minutes the class came to a close. Diana and Lucius slipped out, leaving Severus alone, but he liked it better that way. He had turned to look at Lily only once, and it happened to be when she and James were exchanging a moment. His heart sank at the thought. Potter? He asked himself in disbelief. He played in his head what he thought would happen. He figured he would date her and drop her, just like he did to Narcissa, who couldn't even go to class that day. That was how upset she was. She also didn't plan on showing up for Charms with Lily. She cried on her bed the entire day, knowing James was not thinking of her at all.  
  
As Lily gathered her books she noticed James and Sirius talking. She decided to slip out so he wouldn't notice her. When she was outside she stopped herself. This is silly, she thought. She had remembered what Diana said that morning. She had told her to take risks and to live her life, or something like that. Lily bit her lip. She couldn't walk any farther away. She felt if she did she would feel like a coward. So instead she stayed back, and leaned against the sidewall, and waited for him to come out of the classroom.  
  
He did about a minute later. He and Sirius were the last to leave.  
  
"Potter." She said, just loud enough for him to hear, and turn to her. She motioned him over with her index finger. He remained cool, and walked over to her. Sirius stood back.  
  
"Yea Evans, what can I do for you?" he said, flirtingly.  
  
Then, due to instincts beyond her control, she grabbed his shirt by the collar and jerked him to her lips. He landed quite willingly on them, and proceeded to part them with his tongue. They kissed for quite a long time, while Sirius looked at his watch repeatedly. In front of their Professor and several students no doubt, but neither of them cared enough to stop. She pushed him against the wall rather hard, pressing herself closer for an instant, before abruptly pulling away.  
  
He was catching his breath before she started to walk away. He caught her hand.  
  
"Wait. Hold on." He said. "Well?"  
  
She smiled sweetly and confidently. "Yea." She whispered. "That was definitely better." She said, trying not to explode. She chuckled and then walked up the flights of stairs to the common room.  
  
Diana was there when she got up to the dorm. Afternoon meetings were never quite as long. Lily threw open the door. Diana noticed her expression instantly.  
  
"Oh my god." Diana said, beaming.  
  
Lily fell onto her bed in absolute contentment. She sighed loudly once, before shaking her head at Diana.  
  
"Damn he's good." Lily whispered, trying to relive it over and over again in her mind.  
  
"See, risks are good." She said. " I am genuinely happy."  
  
"What now that I'm getting some ass?" she joked.  
  
"Yes, that and you are exploring new realms of your soul and your heart. This is the fun part. The flirting and all of that. It makes the rest of it so damn good."  
  
"Well, we'll see." Lily said, honestly thinking about it.  
  
"Ooo, and what about practice?" Diana remembered. "What are you guys going to do?"  
  
"Well, Kat played with him when they dated, on and off the field." She said, smirking. "We'll figure something out. But keep in mind, this does NOT mean we are dating."  
  
"But he's all you think about, I can tell." Diana said, wide eyed.  
  
"How can you tell?"  
  
"I've been there babe. I was in that place for a while."  
  
"With Malfoy?" Lily rhetorically asked. Diana nodded.  
  
"You know I still don't like it." Lily said, honestly.  
  
"I know. But Lily, I don't know...." she started fidgeting.  
  
"Don't know what?" she asked, intriguingly. "C'mon you can tell me, I won't judge I swear." She said, crossing her heart.  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Diana paused, trying to decide how to phrase her words. The she just spit them out.  
  
"I love him." She said, and from her tone Lily knew that she meant it.  
  
"Really?" she asked, trying to sound supportive, but her voice cracked when she asked this.  
  
"Yea."  
  
"Well, when did you realize this?" she asked, acutely.  
  
"Today, well, last night really, but I told him today, just now actually." From the way she was speaking Lily knew that she had been thinking about this on the way upstairs.  
  
"Well, what did he say?" Lily asked, shaking her head in astonishment.  
  
"He said it first."  
  
"Who said what first?" Nicole said, casually walking in. The door was open.  
  
"When?" Lily asked, not hearing Nicole.  
  
"Just now." She said, feeling like she was repeating herself.  
  
"What happened?" Nicole asked.  
  
"Malfoy told Diana he loved her and she said it back." Lily said, trying not to sound callous and judgemental.  
  
"What?" Nicole asked, dumfounded. "All you guys do is screw around." She said, bluntly.  
  
"That's right." Lily said, agreeing with her.  
  
Diana had to acknowledge that they both had a point, and she had never actually analysed their relationship in her head before.  
  
"Ok, I see where you're going with this." Diana admitted. "But I still don't care and I love the way he makes me feel when I'm with him."  
  
"You know honey, an orgasm doesn't exactly qualify as a life changing experience." Nicole said, pulling up a chair.  
  
"It can if it's done right." Lily muttered.  
  
"Yea because you would know." Nicole said, sarcastically.  
  
"Both of you shut up, I didn't mean that at all, although yes, Lily is right in that respect, despite her lack of experience." She mentioned. Then she smirked at a thought she had.  
  
"What?" Nicole asked.  
  
"No, I was just remembering this talk I had with Black today."  
  
"Oh?" Lily asked, delighted to shift the subject. "What does that have to do with anything?"  
  
"I told him, you know, that thing that um, Lucius does. You remember guys I told you." She said, blushing slightly.  
  
"You did not fucking tell him that." Lily said, shaking her head.  
  
"Oh no." Nicole said.  
  
"You're going to give him ideas." Lily warned.  
  
"Then he'll tell Potter and then everyone will be doing it." Nicole said. "And then sex lives will be improved by all."  
  
"See, so I'm performing a public service here." Diana said. "And Lily, in about a month, you will be thanking me that I told him."  
  
"Oh yea Lily I saw that, very hot." Nicole said. "Me and Remus knew all along." She said, and gave Lily a wink. Lily grinned.  
  
"I'm sure." She said. "But I'll say one thing, Potter better watch himself."  
  
~"I'm freaking out Padfoot, I am freaking out!" James screamed as he buried his head in his pillow.  
  
"Yea, I had no idea she could be so, uh, forceful." Sirius replied.  
  
"I'm going crazy, I can't do this anymore." He griped.  
  
"Calm down mate, it'll work out."  
  
"I don't know. She is just so goddamn beautiful and sexy and....and I just, uh, I don't know."  
  
"Well at least you don't question how she feels anymore." He reminded him.  
  
"This is true. But I don't know how much longer I am going to be able to take this. It's just going to build up and then, well, then I'll be just like you." He said, flailing on the bed.  
  
"Shut up Prongs." Sirius said, ripping the pillow out of James' hands.  
  
"I have to see her. I have to, I can't do this." He said, hopping off the bed.  
  
"Not a good idea mate." Sirius began.  
  
"Yea, you're right it's still too soon. But let me tell you, I didn't know she could kiss like that. She surprised me."  
  
"She surprised a lot of people."  
  
"Yea, but, Sirius..." he said. "Nice girls don't kiss like that."  
  
"When has she ever been nice to you?" Sirius asked, comically.  
  
"This is true. I should start hating other women." He said jokingly.  
  
"Yea-"  
  
"But I don't want other women." He said to himself.  
  
"Really?" Sirius asked, rather amazed.  
  
"Nope." James beamed. "Just her." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
(Ok, next chapter will be pretty action packed, as in, a lot of stuff happens. Now I know its Sunday instead of Saturday but I have had one hell of a weekend, lets just say! I am a little hung over right now, and I will regret telling you all that later. Thanks for the reviews! I think we can make it to 200 before the next time I update! And it will be a real treat for me because next Saturday when I update, June 14 is my birthday! Now be a darling and review! Muah! Next week will also be individual thanks and plugs because I lack the energy and sane mind to do it now. Oh and as a side note, beer and vodka together is not your friend. THANK YOU!!!!~Angelxd14) 


	16. Harsh RealizationsCAUTION:Sad Chapter

Disclaimer: See previous chapters. Sorry it took a little longer than normal to update this but fanfiction.net was being an asshole all week and wouldn't let anyone update anything. Thanks to everyone who gave me my lovely birthday wishes :) you are all soo sweet.  
  
(December 21...five days later)  
  
Lily and Diana had overslept that day, which was not good considering it was the Monday of their last couple of days before Christmas vacation, and they had tests all that day. James had cut them slack practice wise, for he needed sleep as well, and wasn't doing too well at catching up on that the last couple of days.  
  
They ran into the great hall at 8:15, about fifteen minutes before the bell. They were hungry, tired, and unorganised. They thumped themselves on the benches and stuffed their faces with everything in sight. They drowned the pumpkin juice, much to the boys' amusement.  
  
"Did we miss the post?" Diana asked with a mouth full of bread and butter.  
  
"Ugh, no." Sirius said, amused by her behaviour. "There it is see?" he said, pointing upwards. She nodded, dismissing him.  
  
"Shit!" Lily shouted.  
  
"What?" Diana asked, exasperated. She felt nothing else could possibly go wrong.  
  
"When do we have DADA?" she frantically asked.  
  
"I don't know!" Diana realized, panicking. "Why?!"  
  
"We have an exam! A big one and I forgot all about it!" she whined.  
  
"Oh no!" Diana cried.  
  
"Ladies, ladies." James said, trying to contain his gratification over watching the flustered girls. "Calm down. We have it third, just like every other day. Remember?" he said calmly nodding his head.  
  
"Third? Third, right." Lily said. "What's it on?"  
  
"Everything." Sirius said.  
  
"Great, we're going to fail, fantastic." Diana said, slamming her hand on the table, which jolted everyone else, and gave Lily a more painful headache.  
  
"Please don't do that." Lily pleaded, rubbing her temples.  
  
"Evans, Renton, calm down it'll be fine." Sirius reassured. "Besides, Renton, DADA is your best subject so I don't know why you're so worried."  
  
"You don't understand, I don't know anything." She said, emphasizing every word.  
  
"Well you can't cram now." Remus said.  
  
"Just relax and eat slower. You still have ten minutes." Nicole said.  
  
"Ok, ok." Lily said and began to eat in silence.  
  
"Hey Black?" Katrina asked, impishly.  
  
"Yes?" he sighed. Regardless of how nice she was, Katrina annoyed him, most of the time.  
  
"How's the pussy hunt going for you?" she asked, as if it was nothing.  
  
"Oh shit." Diana said, calming down a bit due to the distraction.  
  
"Fine thanks." He said, hoping that would be sufficient.  
  
"Oh that's right, did you ask out Winters yet?" Diana asked.  
  
"Um, yea I did." He said.  
  
"Oh that's great, when?" Diana asked, giddy.  
  
"Yesterday." He replied, in the midst of a yawn.  
  
"So?" Lily said, staring at him, noticing how he refused to make eye contact.  
  
"So?" he repeated, wanting the attention to shift immediately.  
  
"Oh Lily, don't make him talk about it. He's shy." Diana mocked, laughing at such a ludicrous thought.  
  
James snorted, while Sirius glared at her mockingly.  
  
"Well, Potter thinks I'm funny." She said, not pleased by the response  
  
"I didn't know that was a joke." Peter inquired. He then received a nasty sneer from Diana, who liked Peter less and less by the minute.  
  
"Well you wouldn't, now would you, Peter." She said, and began to eat slower.  
  
"Now, now Renton. No need to get on Wormtail's case. It's not his fault he's a little slow." James said.  
  
"I resent that." Peter said plainly, before chugging the remains of his Pumpkin Juice.  
  
"I want a nickname." Lily said, calmer than she was when she walked in.  
  
"You can't have one." James answered her, smugly, but contemptuously.  
  
"Why not?" she asked, actually becoming annoyed.  
  
"You have a nickname." Sirius said, praying she wouldn't lose her temper so early, and over something so ridiculous.  
  
"I do?" Lily asked.  
  
"She does?" Diana chimed.  
  
"I'd love to hear it." Remus said, siding with the girls, a childish grin on his face.  
  
"Ok.." Sirius said with a frown. "It's..uh..Lil...Flower." he admitted his own defeat.  
  
"That was pathetic Sirius." Lily said. "Not at all up to your usual standard. I am quite disappointed."  
  
"C'mon, I had, what three seconds?" he said, defending his own wittiness.  
  
"Mm hmm." Lily responded. "What do they mean anyway?"  
  
"What does what mean?" James asked.  
  
"You names, stupid." Lily answered.  
  
"Sound a bit like animal names, don't they?" Diana asked, looking at each of the boys, noticing how uncomfortable they had gotten in such a short amount of time.  
  
"I don't think so." Remus said. "Right?"  
  
"Not at all." James said, hoping the subject would drop.  
  
"There's something you boys aren't telling us, I can tell." Lily said with a playful sigh.  
  
"You have a secret, don't you?" Diana asked, kidding, but she noticed Sirius blush nervously.  
  
"No." he said, dismissing them and concentrating unbelievably hard on his breakfast.  
  
"Alright, alright." Lily said, even though they all knew the conversation was not over. "You can continue being all secretive and Marauding around, that's fine."  
  
"Marauding?" James chuckled.  
  
"You all are just regular Marauders, aren't you? You know, trouble makers." Diana said, hoping they understood.  
  
"Right." James said, thinking intently. "Good word."  
  
"I know." Diana said, and smiled at her own intelligence.  
  
Just then the morning bell rang and they all collected themselves quickly, rushing over to their first period class, knowing they were going to have tests all that morning. They were reluctant to go, and Lily and Diana felt dreadfully unprepared. Sirius and James were the first out, waiting for Diana and Lily to go to their individual classes. They leaned against the wall and waited.  
  
"So what's up with you and Lily?" Sirius asked, watching the entire student body walk past them.  
  
James shrugged. "Um, less than I had hoped. She loves flirting with me but-"  
  
"No action yet?"  
  
"Nope. She's taking things slow, which I am so not used to."  
  
"Well you said yourself that she was different." Sirius said, glancing at his watch. They were going to be late.  
  
"She is." He said, and Sirius saw him smile at the thought. "But, anyway..." he began, changing the subject. "Are you really taking out Winters tonight?"  
  
"Yea." Sirius said, without a smile.  
  
"Don't sound too excited." James said, derisively.  
  
"Um, I am, well, to be finally getting out of the common room. All that research was getting boring." He said, honestly.  
  
"Well, we are getting somewhere. We're close." James said. "We already know where most of the passages are."  
  
"I suppose." Sirius said. "I don't know. I am a little nervous about tonight."  
  
James looked at Sirius as though he had never seen him before. "Really?" he asked in intense disbelief. "Why? You're not still hung up on Renton are you?"  
  
"Not really. She's fading. Rebecca is very pretty too. She's certainly distracting."  
  
"Well good then. You'll see, she'll blow over. You just have to experiment a little more. You'll forget about Renton by the end of the month, and you'll see how silly you've been and you can just go on being friends." James said.  
  
"You're right." Sirius said, convincing himself. "I've been silly. It'll work out. I'm sure we'll have loads to do tonight." He said with a smirk that James well understood.  
  
"Now there's the Sirius I know." He said, punching his arm.  
  
Sirius chuckled. "By the way, that was a close one just now."  
  
"I know." James sighed. "And we weren't convincing at all. We're losing our touch."  
  
"Do you think they know?"  
  
"I don't know. We just have to hope that they don't think too hard about it." James said.  
  
"Right. We're just being paranoid." Sirius answered, and discharged his nerves.  
  
~*~"I notice we didn't get any post today." Lily said, as she went to join James to go to Arithmancy. Diana noticed this too, but simply shrugged. She didn't choose to dwell on it.  
  
"Nobody loves us." She said and sighed.  
  
"When are our parents coming? Tonight or tomorrow?" Lily asked.  
  
"I don't really know. I'm sure they're in Alexandria by now. I expect tomorrow morning."  
  
"Alright." Lily said. "They're probably just enjoying the sights. Or else they would have written."  
  
"Exactly." Diana said. "Now let's go, Trelawney is going to be up my ass if we don't hurry up."  
  
"Ok. See you at Lunch." Lily said, and they exited the doors side by side, and approached James and Sirius.  
  
"There you are. We were waiting forever." James complained.  
  
"Sorry." Lily said plainly. "You didn't have to wait."  
  
"I wanted to." He smiled, and she blushed, as they made their way to what would be the first of many exams.  
  
"Ready Renton?" Sirius said casually.  
  
"Of course." She said and they too went to class.  
  
By lunchtime the moods of the two girls only worsened. Lily couldn't be bothered with her obvious feelings for James. She was stressed out beyond the capacity to control herself.  
  
"Oh that was awful." She said, as she put her head in her hands.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm sure you did fine." James reassured.  
  
"No!" she yelled. "I failed. It was horrible!"  
  
"It wasn't that bad." Diana said, trying to calm her down.  
  
"Oh what would you know? You know exactly what you're doing. I saw you take it. You looked like you were enjoying it." Lily said, cold-heartedly.  
  
"No, it was difficult." She said, clearing her throat. "Sort of." Diana had to admit that Defence Against the Dark Arts was her favourite class, and she found the exam quite easy. She just didn't want to make Lily angrier than she already was.  
  
"Yes, it was." Sirius said, while nodding in agreement. None of them wanted an angry Evans around. "Exceedingly."  
  
"Outstandingly." Remus added  
  
"Extraordinarily-" said James with enthusiasm.  
  
"That's enough, although I do appreciate it." Lily said, feeling a bit better. "And I know your lying."  
  
"Never." James said, smirking.  
  
"Sure." Lily answered with a wink.  
  
"Hey, are you guys ready for the game tomorrow?" Nicole chimed in. Everyone was glad she did.  
  
"Oh right, that reminds me," James started. "Practice tonight, 9:00."  
  
"What?!" Lily and Diana said.  
  
"Practice tonight, 9:00." He repeated, slower then before.  
  
"Potter you can't do that." Katrina said, evenly. "It's too late."  
  
"It's not like we have class tomorrow." Sirius said.  
  
"But we have a lot of holiday work." Diana said.  
  
"It's not like you were going to start any of it tonight anyway. Now I know you are all tired, I am too, but we HAVE to practice." James said, putting his foot down.  
  
Lily groaned. "But, Potter, it's only Hufflepuff. And let's not beat around the bush here, they suck."  
  
"Lily's right they are really terrible." Diana said. "What could we possible practice to beat them, flying in a strait line?"  
  
"Oh did I forget to tell you? We're not playing Hufflepuff anymore. We're playing Ravenclaw." James said. "Madame Hooch told me yesterday."  
  
"Are you kidding?" Diana asked.  
  
"They can't just change it at the last minute can they?" Katrina asked, now a little nervous. She had to work harder than she wanted to on the field now.  
  
"Well they did, it seems." Sirius said. "What's the big deal?"  
  
James looked at him wide eyed. "The big deal? We have to beat them or else- "  
  
"We'll be in second place?" Lily added  
  
"God forbid." Remus said sarcastically.  
  
"You have to sort out your priorities Potter." Lily said. "It's just too late, we'll be playing until dawn if we start then. I know your practices and it won't do us any good at the last minute."  
  
James sighed out of annoyance but refused to buckle. "Oi Frank!" he called to the other side of the table. Frank's head propped up. "Practice tonight at 9:00!" he yelled.  
  
"Ok! See you then!" Frank yelled back.  
  
"See, not everyone gives me problems." He said, glaring at his keeper, seeker, and chaser, especially.  
  
Lily huffed, but said nothing after that.  
  
"I'm a little nervous about tomorrow." Diana chimed in, a few minutes later.  
  
"Please tell me you're joking." James said, not wanting to be more stressed out then he already was. "I swear to god Renton, if you crack tomorrow-"  
  
"Relax Potter. I'll be fine, it's just that, well, my Mum's never seen me play before, you know, outside of my backyard. Not to mention that it's Ravenclaw, and she happens to work for the Department of Magical Games and Sports-"  
  
"Wait, wait, wait." James said, stopping her. "What exactly does she do?"  
  
"I told you, she recruits players for Puddlemere United." She said, straightforwardly.  
  
"Don't worry Potter, you'll have your glory." Lily said. "You don't actually think she'll sign you on the spot now do you?" Lily laughed.  
  
"That is ridiculously cool Renton." James said, fidgeting more. "Padfoot, could you imagine if we got contracts tomorrow?" he wasn't listening to Lily. "How awesome would that be?"  
  
"Breath-taking." Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "So what's the deal Renton, are you, like, automatically on the team after graduation?"  
  
"Nah, I don't want to play for a living. The life isn't that glamorous, well, except for the World Cup, and the after parties, and the fans, and the money..but I wouldn't really want to do it. I don't like to travel." She said, offhand.  
  
"You're insane, I'll just leave it at that." Sirius said. She smirked.  
  
"Why thank you Black." She said, cutely.  
  
"Now what's this?" came a harsh voice from behind them. "Forget about me that quickly?"  
  
"I didn't forget. I happen to be hungry." Diana said, innocently. "And I have a lot of tests today. I can't be distracted." She said, waving it off.  
  
"I don't see you studying?"  
  
"What an excellent observation Lucius." She answered, still not turning around.  
  
"May I speak with you?" he said, clenching his teeth.  
  
"We're speaking now." She answered, airily.  
  
"I mean in private. You're nosy little friends don't seem to know the meaning of confidentiality, blabbermouths that they are. If I wanted a goddamn audience-"  
  
"You have a lot of nerve coming to this table and speaking to one of our own like that, Malfoy." Sirius hissed.  
  
"You're on our turf." James said. "You cross the line, once, and see what happens." James said. Sirius was reaching for his wand.  
  
"It's not your business Potter." He argued, and put a possessive hand on Diana's shoulder. "Arabella, a word." He ordered.  
  
"The bell's about to ring-"  
  
"Now!"  
  
"Don't you talk to her like that!" Lily yelled, fuming.  
  
"Stay out of it Mudblood!" Lucius screamed, pointing at her.  
  
"Both of you shut up!" Diana yelled, getting up. "You-meet me outside." She said to Malfoy. "Lily, please. Just stay out of it." She pleaded, and got up from the table.  
  
He was alone, leaning against the wall, red with anger. She was not happy with his behaviour and made sure to let him know.  
  
"How dare you come to my table like that!" she screamed as she shut the doors behind her. "You have no right to demand my attention, especially in front of my team and captain! I talk to you when I want to, not when you demand my time like an impatient little child! You wait, got it? If you tell me it's important, nicely, then I would be glad to step outside with you, but not when you just stomp over like you own the place-"  
  
"Are you quite finished?" he asked, looking obviously bored.  
  
"What?" she asked, incredibly offended. "No-"  
  
He seized her arm and tuned her around, knocking her hard against the stone wall. She flinched in pain.  
  
"Well I'm finishing it. Your insufferable shrill is giving me a headache." He whispered.  
  
"How dare-" she started.  
  
"Shut up and listen to me." He said, grinding her into the wall even more. "I do not appreciate your behaviour Arabella. It doesn't look good for me when you act like a whore, do you understand?" he said, as if she were a child.  
  
"What are you talking about?" she asked, slightly afraid.  
  
"You and Black seem to be getting oddly close lately. Your flirtatious nature is going to get you in trouble with me one of these days if you don't end it."  
  
"You're paranoid." She said. "There is absolutely nothing-"  
  
"Don't interrupt." He said. "Now he may not know what a slut you are, but I do, my dear. He may fantasize about you, but I know what you really are, you tease. Stop making him think he has a chance, or you'll be the one cleaning up the mess. I have ways of making both your lives miserable, Arabella. Am I making myself clear?"  
  
She was speechless. Her arm was numb from his tight grip and she didn't want to anger him even more. She was staring her down, expecting an answer.  
  
"Well? Answer me." He said, a bit calmer, but with the same attitude.  
  
She nodded without looking.  
  
"Good, good." He said, in a better mood. He loosened his grip, but didn't let go. "Now remember, I am only warning you because I love you, and you know that. A simpleton like Black will never care for you like I do, darling. Now I know you don't mean it, but watch yourself. I don't mean to be harsh with you, but that's the only way you'll listen. You're mine, and when you realize that, then we can all be happy. You want to be happy don't you?"  
  
She just stood there, knowing that if he let go she would collapse. He had definitely cut off some of the circulation in her arm.  
  
"Yes." She said, although it was barely detectable.  
  
"Of course you do." He said, and let go. She remained against the wall, leaning on it for support. The bell had rung, and students began to exit the Great Hall. "Oh, and don't snap at me again, Arabella. It's really very rude." Then he disappeared into the crowd.  
  
Diana knew she had to collect herself quickly, but didn't know where to start. She had no idea what just happened and she had never seen that side of him before. She didn't like it. She didn't want that to happen again. She saw her friends leave. First Remus and Nicole, who smiled at her, unknowingly. Then Lily, Katrina, Peter, James and Sirius. Lily walked right over to Diana, a puzzled expression across her face.  
  
"So what happened?" she asked. James and Sirius followed while Katrina and Peter went to class. "What did he say?"  
  
Diana swallowed loudly but acted as though nothing was wrong. She tried to be resilient. "Oh, nothing. You know." She said, and attempted a chuckle. Sirius could tell something was wrong. Her eyes told him that she was scared.  
  
"Listen, Renton, we still have practice tonight, so try and finish work early. If you're late, that's ok, but don't go with Malfoy tonight. You have other priorities." James said, trying to figure out what was possibly wrong with her. He could tell Lily was thinking the same thing.  
  
"Don't worry Potter, I'll be there." Diana said, and attempted a smile. "But we should go, we're going to be late." She said, and walked ahead.  
  
"Why the rush Renton?" Sirius asked. "We'll get there." He tried to walk next to her, but she kept picking up speed or slowing down when he got too close. He didn't understand, but knew it had something to do with Malfoy. He didn't think he could hate him anymore, but he was wrong.  
~*~  
  
"You ready to go down Lily?" Nicole asked, as she poked her head into their dorm. Dinner is about to start.  
  
"Right, I know. I just want to finish this essay really quickly so I don't have to think about it for the rest of the vacation." Lily said, not looking up from her paper.  
  
"Where's Diana?" Nicole asked surveying the room.  
  
"Bathroom." Lily simply said. "Out in a minute."  
  
"She's been acting weird all day." Nicole mentioned. Lily closed her textbook and threw the parchment on the floor, a look of mild satisfaction on her face because she was finished. Then she took into account to what Nicole had said.  
  
"Well, since lunch anyway." Lily pointed out.  
  
"She was awfully quiet, especially during Potions." Nicole said.  
  
"I know. She told me she was just tired but she didn't seem to be concentrating on anything. And when Sirius tried to ask her a question she got all nervous and would only give him one word answers." Lily remembered.  
  
"Hmm, weird. Maybe she's just PMSing, you know. Mood swings and all that. She'll be fine."  
  
"Well, let's hope so." Lily sighed. "I'm starting to get a little worried."  
  
"Worried about what?" Diana asked, upon walking back into the room.  
  
"Nothing." Lily and Nicole said at the same time.  
  
"Whatever." Diana said, not believing them. "Let's go down, I'm really hungry."  
  
"Ok, should we wait for the boys?" Nicole asked.  
  
"Um, you two could, I'm going to go down ahead to get a seat." Diana said, fidgeting.  
  
"There will be seats in a minute Diana." Nicole said, looking at her oddly.  
  
"Yea well, I don't want all the food to be gone. See you downstairs." Diana said, and quickly left the room. She had a pain in her stomach all the way down the stairs. She really didn't want to see Lucius, especially alone.  
  
When she got into the great hall she found all four boys already down there, much to her distress.  
  
"Evening Renton." James said. "Feeling better?"  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked, sighing and plopping herself down. "I'm fine."  
  
"You looked a little off in Potions." Sirius mentioned.  
  
"Nope, false alarm." She said, nervously piling food onto her plate.  
  
"Oh, you're already down here." Lily said, as she walked to the table. "We waited." She said, folding her arms.  
  
"Didn't know we had to make an announcement Evans, but alright. Sit down." James said, sweetly.  
  
"Thank you." Lily replied. Just then she let her eyes wander to the teacher's table for an instant before she sat down. There was one more chair placed there than necessary. Nicole noticed too.  
  
"Why is the Minister of Magic here?" she asked, and James' head propped up instantly.  
  
"What? Why?" Sirius said, taking the words out of James' mouth. "Do you know anything about this Prongs?"  
  
"No." he said, shrugged and piled more food on his plate than necessary.  
  
"Is you Mum here too then?" Lily asked, looking at James.  
  
"Doubt it." He answered. "She usually stays home. She isn't affiliated with the Ministry."  
  
"I wonder why he hasn't come over to say hello?" Remus inquired.  
  
"Busy." Was all James said.  
  
"But he's your dad." Peter said evenly.  
  
James sighed. "I know."  
  
"Probably just wants to talk to Dumbledore about something." Sirius said.  
  
"I'm sure it has nothing to do with you." Remus said.  
  
"It never does." James said, uniformly.  
  
Lily watched as The Minister of Magic, Harold Potter whispered what seemed to be very urgent news into Dumbledore's ear. He jolted up and she watched them go in the direction of his office. After about a minute McGonagal joined them.  
  
"Weird." Lily said.  
  
"I don't get it. Did he just show up randomly?" Sirius asked.  
  
"He only comes here when it's important." James said. "Not for trivial things like-"  
  
"Seeing his son play Quidditch?" Lily asked, finishing his sentence. James' look turned solemn at the bluntness of her comment. She smiled at him out of remorse.  
  
"Everyone! Everyone!" they heard and the entire great hall turned around. There was Dumbledore, ready to make some announcement. He didn't have his usual cheerful look about him. He looked very grave indeed.  
  
"I need to see two students in my office at once!" he said. Everyone tensed up at what he said. "Will Miss Lily Evans and Miss Diana Renton please come to my office immediately!" he said. All eyes went on the two girls, who were each thinking the same thing.  
  
"What's this about?" Diana asked Lily.  
  
"I don't know." She answered shrugging.  
  
"Are we in trouble?"  
  
"We didn't do anything." Lily said. "We'll, uh, be right back guys." She said, as their friends looked at them strangely.  
  
They walked hastily together to Dumbledore's office. They were both very confused and overwhelmed. They also wondered why they had to be in the same room with the Minister of Magic. It made them slightly more nervous.  
  
"The password?" Diana asked, as they reached the large phoenix that was firmly placed at the opening. Just then the door opened, and there stood McGonagal.  
  
"Let's go ladies." She said, glumly. She took their hands and led them upstairs. Lily wondered why they were receiving this special treatment, especially from their stern Transfiguration teacher.  
  
They made their way up the stairs and entered the magnificent office. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk with the Minister of Magic in the seat in front of it. This forced the girls to stand. On his desk were three pieces of paper. Two letters and one that looked astoundingly like an article out of a newspaper.  
  
"You wanted to see us, Professor?" Lily asked, feebly.  
  
"Yes." He simply said. "If you two would just come here for a moment."  
  
They walked closer to his desk. McGonagal stayed back. Diana thought she heard her sniffle.  
  
"First of all, I would like to introduce you to the Minister of Magic, Mr. Harold Potter." Dumbledore said, calmly.  
  
"Yes, we know." Lily began. "We're friends of your son." She held out her hand, and he shook it kindly.  
  
"My son? Oh yes, James." He answered.  
  
"You do remember him, don't you?" Diana said, with no respect whatsoever. "He goes here too."  
  
"Let me get to the point, Miss Renton, and Miss Evans." Mr. Potter said, disregarding her comment.  
  
"Wait, what are those Professor?" Diana asked, noticing that two of the letters were addressed to them.  
  
"Oh, well, in time you may see them." He hesitated. "They're letters from your parents." He whispered.  
  
"Why can't we see them?" Lily asked, the room growing stuffier by the minute.  
  
"Now, now ladies." Mr. Potter started. "You're parents, well, they were...let me rephrase this." He was getting nervous, and the girls could tell. He cleared his throat. "This morning, we discovered, well, your parents were stationed in Alexandria, correct Miss Renton?"  
  
"Yes, but what does this have to do with anything?" she answered, crossing her arms to keep her fingers from shaking.  
  
"Perhaps I should tell them Harold." Dumbledore said. "There was an attack this morning in Alexandria." He hesitated, not knowing how to phrase his words. "Your parents, were.....they were killed." He said, looking down.  
  
They were both so shocked that they had forgotten to breathe. Diana was visibly shaking now, not knowing what to say.  
  
"What do you mean?" Lily said, disbelievingly. "How? I don't understand." Her eyes were beginning to water.  
  
Diana put her hands over her mouth. She thought she was going to throw up. McGonagal suddenly ran to them both, putting a concerned hand on both their shoulders. It was obvious that she was crying.  
  
"I don't get it. Who attacked them?" Diana said, trying to make her voice stop shaking.  
  
Dumbledore and Mr Potter exchanged a quick glance before the Minister nodded.  
  
"Death Eaters." Dumbledore said.  
  
"What the hell is that?!" Diana said. She was getting angrier now.  
  
"Dark Wizards who follow an evil overlord named Voldomort." The minister said, trying to retain his disposition.  
  
Lily couldn't contain herself. She broke out sobbing on the ground. An image flashed in her mind. The image of her mother, waving goodbye to her, that first day on Platform 9 ¾. It was the first day Julia Evans had met Alison and Mark Renton.  
  
Diana crouched down next to her, and cried along with her.  
  
"How could this have happened?" Lily cried. "My parents weren't wizards." She blubbered. "They shouldn't have been-"  
  
"Why would he come after my Mum and Dad?" Diana screeched, getting up, and trying hard to balance herself on the Minister's chair.  
  
"Calm down ladies, please." He said, trying to explain.  
  
"Diana..." Dumbledore said, addressing her by her name for the first time. She looked at him, tears streaming down her face. "This is all very overwhelming for you, I know. But you must understand that there is a war coming. Voldomort wants to knock out whoever stands in his way. He sent people there to murder you mother and father because they were good. They would not submit to his followers so they were destroyed. You parents would have been valuable to him, Diana, and he didn't want them on the opposite side."  
  
"Was that the only attack?" Diana asked, enraged and heart broken at the same time.  
  
Dumbledore sighed. "Well, no. The rest of your family, I'm afraid-"  
  
"NO!" Diana yelled, slamming her fist on the table. "No...." she started crying again.  
  
"I am sorry." Dumbledore said, although one tear managed to escape his eye. "They were exceptional people."  
  
"But Lily's parents." Diana sobbed. "Why them? They didn't do anything. They were no use to them."  
  
"They were simply in the way, my dears. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time." Mr. Potter said, not helping. "It couldn't be helped."  
  
"This can't be true, this can't be true." Lily whispered.  
  
"Funeral arrangements have already been made." Dumbledore said. "Lily, we have yet to notify your sister."  
  
With this comment Lily cried even harder. She had forgotten about Petunia. She shuddered to think what would happen when she found out.  
  
"You will remain here for the rest of the year. You will spend all vacations at Hogwarts. In the summer, well, we have yet to decide that." Dumbledore said, looking at the Minister, who shifted uncomfortably.  
  
"So this means..." Diana started, wiping her eyes. "We're orphans."  
  
"You don't have to look at it like that." The minister said. Dumbledore agreed.  
  
"You will always have a home here at Hogwarts. We will always look after you." McGonagal said.  
  
"I'm the only one left." Diana muttered.  
  
"Yes, but that is a conversation for another day, Diana. Don't be overwhelmed." Dumbledore said.  
  
"No, he'll come after me next." She said, growing horrified.  
  
"Now, now, he will not. He doesn't know you exist yet. You, after all, have your father's last name." Dumbledore explained. "But I suggest that you two go back to you dormitories at once. There is nothing more to be said at this time."  
  
"The letters." Lily said, as Diana helped her up. "I want to see my letter." She held out her hand.  
  
"I'm afraid that-" the Minister began.  
  
"And the article too." Diana said. "I believe we have the right to read it before the world does."  
  
"Alright." Dumbledore said, nodding. He handed the girls their letters, the last words from their parents. They folded it, choosing not to read it there. "Professor McGonagal will escort you back to the common room."  
  
"That's ok Professor-" Lily sniffed. "We haven't finished eating yet."  
  
Dumbledore looked at them strangely. "Dinner is finished I'm afraid. But your friends are in the common room by now, I assume. You may speak with them there." Diana and Lily turned to leave, McGonagal right behind them.  
  
"And ladies.." Dumbledore stopped them. "You have experienced a terrible tragedy, and I want you to know that I will always be here if you need to talk, about anything at all."  
  
"Thank you Professor." They both said, at odd times. Then they left, not speaking all the way to the Gryffindor common room. McGonagal hugged them both tightly before they went inside, saying how sorry she was, and how much she loved Diana's mother, who was the only wizard out of the four.  
  
They shuffled into the common room, and everyone jumped up when they saw the two enter. The younger years were in their dormitories, so the only ones in the room were James, Sirius, Nicole, Remus, Katrina, Peter, Frank and Sarah. They had all been talking about Diana and Lily, and from the looks on their faces, something terrible had happened.  
  
Just the site of their friends looking so concerned cause Lily and Diana to start crying again. They were touched and hurt at the same time and were so confused and scared they didn't know what to do.  
  
Nicole ran to Diana and Lily and hugged them closely.  
  
"What happened?" Nicole asked, as Diana clutched her tightly.  
  
Katrina and Sarah joined in wile Diana and Lily showed them the article and the letter. All five girls hugged and cried together. The boys were profoundly confused because they had no idea what had happened and they couldn't see anything. All they could hear were muffled cries of consolation and questions concerning the events.  
  
"How did it happen?"  
  
"At least they didn't suffer?"  
  
"What's a Death Eater?"  
  
"Everything will be alright."  
  
"What a tragedy."  
  
They figured it out and just looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Remus slowly walked over to the girls and expressed his condolences, and Lily and Diana each gave him a friendly hug.  
  
This prompted James and Sirius to do this. It wasn't that they didn't feel bad for them, they did. They just felt a little nervous as to how they would react to them.  
  
Lily was crying like a child, sobbing and whining. She ran upstairs before James could even get close. She crashed onto her bed and smothered her face in her pillow.  
  
Against his conscience James ran up after her, leaving Sirius alone. He hesitated at her door, hearing her weep. He felt a pain in his heart at the sound of her cries, and he entered the room, despite being a tad afraid.  
  
He approached her slowly. She was face down on the bed. He gently sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to push her. She didn't seem to notice he was there. He placed his hand on her back, and she jolted upwards. She put her hand over her heart and her chest was heaving in and out. When she saw him she cried harder, and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him close to her.  
  
He suddenly didn't know what to do. He had never been in a situation like this before, and it scared him. It scared him to think that he cared so much about her feelings. He wasn't usually like this. But he wanted to make her happy. He wanted her to feel better, because he knew it would make him feel better. He put his arms around her waist, and returned the embrace.  
  
"What am I going to do James?" she cried, in between sobs.  
  
"I don't know." He said, honestly. "Shh, shh, it will be alright." He said, whispering in her ear.  
  
"They're gone James, they're gone!" she screamed. "I'm all alone."  
  
"No you're not." He said, stroking her hair. She released herself from him.  
  
"Yes I am." She said, wiping her eyes, but still crying. "My sister hates me, my parents are dead. I have no one."  
  
"Yes, yes you do." He said, putting his hand on her swollen cheek. "You have me."  
  
"What are you talking about?" she said, wiping her nose with her sleeve. James then leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. She returned it and placed her hand on the back of his head.  
  
"You'll always have me, Lily, I promise." He whispered, and he kissed her cheek. "You'll be alright."  
  
She shook her head. "No." she whimpered.  
  
"Yes, you're brave, Lily. You'll get through this."  
  
"James?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Will you stay with me? I don't want to be alone." She cried, trying to force the tears to stop.  
  
"Of course." He answered, and lied down beside her. She put her head on her chest, and they fell asleep in each other's arms.  
  
~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Diana was downstairs, crying in the arms of her four close friends. She was beside herself. Never in her entire life had she felt so alone. Sirius stood there, unable to do anything. He felt guilty about not comforting her, and he didn't know what to say if he did. Remus repeatedly looked in his direction, asking silently for help. He ignored it. He wanted to help. He wanted to do anything he could. He wanted to make her forget, to make her smile, but he lacked the courage and was afraid what her reaction would be. Then he remembered, he had a date with Rebecca Winters that night, in about twenty minutes.  
  
He was just about to walk over to her when he saw her get up, wipe her eyes, and exit the common room. He heard Nicole beg her not to go, to spend the time there with them, but she shook her head and closed the door.  
  
The remaining girls wiped their eyes and went to their respective dorms. Nicole kissed Remus goodnight and left. Remus then walked over to Sirius, who was still firmly planted on the other side of the room.  
  
"You're an idiot." He said, folding his arms at his friend.  
  
"She doesn't want me to." Sirius said, and plopped down on the couch. "It would be too weird."  
  
"What are you talking about? She asked for you, you know." He said, and sat down next to him.  
  
"Don't lie."  
  
"I'm not. She was a little disoriented and didn't see you." Remus explained. "I think she wanted to speak to you."  
  
"Where did she go?" Sirius asked, solemnly.  
  
"Where do you think?"  
  
Sirius sighed. "Why? Why is she with that piece of shit? He brings her nothing but bad luck. He's bad for her."  
  
"I know. We all know, but who else is there for her to run to?" Remus asked. "She's a woman. There is only so much consoling friends can do. She wants to be loved right now. She feels alone."  
  
"But why him? God, I hate him. She deserves so much better. She deserves to be happy and treated right. She deserves-"  
  
"You?"  
  
Sirius just shrugged. He told himself he would get over her. He told himself she didn't mean much to him. But he knew he was lying to himself, knew he wanted no one else.  
  
********************** Diana ran to the dungeon as fast as she could. She couldn't feel her legs moving, but knew where they were carrying her. She was so distraught, she couldn't think strait. She ran down the hallway and stopped short on front of a door. She banged loudly.  
  
The door was opened reluctantly and she saw the perplexed expressions of unfamiliar faces. Through the crowd she heard her name being called. It took her a second to recognize it.  
  
"Arabella?"  
  
The crowd cleared and she stumbled inside. He was sitting there, reading a book of some kind. She didn't bother to find out what. She just ran to him and threw her arms around him.  
  
Uncomforted by this sudden change in events he pulled away.  
  
"What happened?" he asked casually, his mood not altered by her tears.  
  
"Th-they're gone!" she wept and buried her head in her hands.  
  
"Hold on." He said, shooing away all of the prying eyes. She was embarrassing him. "Who's gone?"  
  
"My parents. They're dead, he's killed them." She cried.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"I don't know some Dark Wizard. Moldywart or something." She said, not thinking it was relevant. He looked slightly insulted.  
  
"Voldomort." He corrected.  
  
"Right, whatever." She said, dismissing it. Then she looked up. "Do you know anything about him?"  
  
"I've heard of him." He said, offhandedly.  
  
"Yea, well-"  
  
"When did this happen?" he asked, as if it were an interrogation.  
  
"This morning." She sniffed.  
  
"Oh. Well, there's nothing you can do about it? And stop crying, I can barely understand you." He commanded.  
  
"How can you say that?" she said, getting a little angry.  
  
"Well, crying isn't going to bring them back, now is it?" he said, forcefully.  
  
She sniffed loudly. "No, I suppose not. I just-"  
  
"Exactly. Now I'm not going to baby you dear, but if you would like, I can make you forget about them for a little while." He said, with a wicked smirk.  
  
She just looked at him disbelievingly. "Are you serious?" she said. "No."  
  
He became annoyed. "Well then you should leave, don't you think?"  
  
"You are such an asshole." She screeched.  
  
"Well what do you want me to do huh? Sit here and let you cry all over me?"  
  
"Well-"  
  
"Darling, I don't believe in petty forms of sympathy. I have none for you. I can offer you a remedy if you like, but don't expect me just to sit there and hold you. I have better things to do." He said, getting up and walking over to the stairs.  
  
"Wait." She said, knowing that it was either him or crying alone in the bathroom. She chose him.  
  
"Yes?" he said, turning back around and leaning against the banister.  
  
"Ok." She said, trying desperately not to cry again. He smiled inwardly.  
  
"Fine. You'll feel better in a few minutes." He said, walking over to her and taking her wrist. She followed him up the stairs, and wondered again where Sirius had gone.  
  
.......9:15pm..........  
  
Diana entered the common room, feeling indifferent to what had just happened. Sirius was there, again.  
  
"Hi." She said as she shut the door. "Why aren't you at practice?" she said squarely.  
  
"I think James forgot we had it." he said, trying to decipher her mind.  
  
"Oh." She said and walked to the stairs. She stopped at the bottom. "How did your date go?" she asked, trying to lighten her own mood.  
  
"I, uh, I cancelled."  
  
"Why?" she said, and walked over to him.  
  
"I just didn't feel up to it, that's all." He said, shrugging. "It just didn't feel right. She understood."  
  
Diana nodded. "You should have gone. Anything is better than being here." She said, feeling the tears form in her eyes again.  
  
"Diana." He said as he got up. She sniffed in response. "I am so sorry." He said, spitting it out awkwardly.  
  
"Sirius, don't. You don't have to-"  
  
"No, I want to. I-I feel terrible about what happened to you. You didn't deserve it. Nobody deserves that." He said.  
  
"Thank you." She said, and tried to smile. "Where's Lily?"  
  
"Upstairs. James is with her."  
  
"Great." She said, and sighed. "I guess I'll uh, crash down here."  
  
"Well I was going to, but, you could sleep in our dorm. I can stay here."  
  
"No, no. I don't want to be any trouble. You can go ahead, sleep upstairs, its ok." She insisted.  
  
"No really, you can." He said.  
  
"It's fine down here. One empty room versus another. It's all the same to me." She said, glumly.  
  
"You know, Diana, I-I can stay with you, I mean, if you want to." He said, inarticulately.  
  
"Why would you want to do that?" she asked.  
  
"Well, it's just that, I don't think you should be alone, that's all." He admitted. She found this comment to be very sweet. She smiled at him.  
  
"That's a really nice thing to say." She said, and began to cry again. He got up from his chair and walked over to her. Then he sucked up his courage and hugged her. She was incredibly surprised at first, but began to cry harder.  
  
"I'm sorry." She said. "I don't mean to cry all over you." She said.  
  
"You can cry if you want to cry, Diana. I don't mind. It's ok, it's all ok."  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Do you want me to walk you upstairs?" he asked.  
  
"Uh, sure, alright." She said, and half smiled at him.  
  
They climbed the stairs together. Diana was feeling very confused and hurt, but grateful. He opened the door for her to their room.  
  
"Thank you Sirius, for, uh, being so nice to me." She said, rather shyly. "And offering me the room and all."  
  
"You're welcome." He said. "I'll be downstairs if you need anything."  
  
"Right, ok." She said, a little disappointed.  
  
"I really am sorry Renton, I really am."  
  
All she did was smile. A sad smile that thanked him, but didn't make the pain go away. She just nodded and closed the door, while Sirius walked down the stairs slowly, not knowing what to make of anything.  
  
(Please don't hate me for this chapter, I know it is very sad and I was depressed when I wrote it. But on a happier note, yeah I got more than 200!!! This is so cool and I am so glad you all like it!!! Oh yea, ff.net also wont post most of the reviews on the panel and my computer erases old mail after a couple of days. I will eventually thank all of you individually :) Love ya! 


	17. Hogsmeade: Tests of Friendship

Disclaimer: See previous chapters. WARNING: Lily and James Fluff!(sorry, I had to :)

I apologize for the incredible delay, but I did have to read Order of the Phoenix, grieve hopelessly over the death (it KILLED me) and finish school and all that shit.  Whatever, here it is :) by the way, Sarah Ferguson's (Franks girlfriend)  name is now Alice, just remember that.  And Narcissa Silverton's last name has been changed to Black.  Sirius is just indifferent to the fact that they are related, which is why he never mentioned it before now.

February 1, 1974……..About a month later, more or less……..

Lily was sitting in her dormitory, reading over and over again the content of her parents' letter.  It was always the same.  It told her, in her mother's neat, curvy handwriting, that they would see her the next day.  That was over a month ago.  It spouted praises for Lily and pride for joining the team, and doing so well in school.  When Lily couldn't look at it anymore, she tossed it aside, creasing it in the same way she had received it.  

She was feeling depressed again, as she did once and a while.  Lily was extremely resilient.  Diana on the other hand, well, she seemed to be getting worse.  She had, after all, received the worse news.  Her entire family had been wiped out, and she lived in fear that she might be next.  More horrible than that, to Lily, was that she was spending more and more time with Malfoy.  Everyone barely saw her outside of classes.  If they didn't have Quidditch practice, Lily didn't know when she's see her.  She never slept in their dorm anymore.  Diana had lost a ridiculous amount of weight since Christmas, her appetite nowhere near as enthusiastic as it used to be.

Lily's mood brightened instantly when a messy, black haired boy poked his head in, an arrogant, yet endearing smile spread across his attractive face.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Mm Hmm." Lily responded and got up.  She kissed him on the mouth for a second, and he put his arm around her waist as they walked down to the common room.

"Hogmeade today." Lily said, happily.

"Yep, but not before we practice for a couple of hours."

"Ugh, fine." Lily said, reluctantly.

James and Lily, much to the relief and delight of their fellow Gryffindors, had become quite the couple.  They still argued, as couples naturally do, but they always made up quickly.  Their most horrible fights came on the Quidditch field because James had to constantly remind her that he was the captain and Lily couldn't change the plays in the middle of practice.

That night in her dorm brought them closer, considering they both shared the traumatic experience.  When she woke up the next day she was somewhat disoriented, but relieved to see who was next to her.  She had never thought that she would be this comfortable around a man like James Potter.  When he woke up, he asked her, quite plainly, if she would care to be his girlfriend, this time with absolute seriousness.  She answered him with a kiss, and they had been inseparable ever since.

While they walked down the stairs they noticed Sirius and Remus working on Divination.

"Hmmm, how bout we get hit by a lightening bolt?" Remus asked, jotting down anything that came to his head.

"You could." Sirius said.  "I think that I'll……uh……..get choked to death by Devil's Snare."

"By the end of the week? That's depressing." Remus said, although he was laughing.

"I know, maybe I should change it to getting some sort of disease.  Maybe then she'll excuse me from all this work." He said.  "How about…..Malaria?"

"How about Gonorrhoea?" Remus said, not looking up.  He could tell, however, that he was getting quite the glare from Sirius.  "What, it makes more sense." he said, defending himself.  "She'd believe that one, the way you carry on with Winters all period."

"Hey, it's not my fault the girl can't keep her hands to herself."

"Yes, it must be harder when you place then where you want them to be." Lily said, walking over to them.

"Morning, Bitch." Sirius said casually.

"Morning Slut." She said, in the same tone.  "Don't you think you should be taking that a little more seriously?" she said, tapping her fingernail on his homework.  Sirius and Remus snorted.

"You take school too seriously, Lily." Remus said.  "It's Divination."

"Oh I remember Divination." Lily said, pretending to shudder.

"Guys, practice, now." James said, tapping his watch.  It was 8:00 on a Saturday morning.  They were the only ones awake.

"Alright, alright, you pain in the ass." Sirius said.  "I'm coming. And I don't see the rest of the team anywhere." He said, glancing all around him.

"Oh shit I bet they slept in. hold on….." he cleared his throat.  "TEAM!!!! KAT, FRANK, ANDREW, BACKSIDES DOWN HERE NOW!" he yelled.  Lily covered her ears.  When she was finished she slapped him hard on the shoulder.

"What the bloody hell is your problem?" she angrily whispered.  "You're going to wake the whole—"

"SHUT UP POTTER!" they heard a couple of people shout.  James had the tendency to do that when no one wanted him too.  He had no consideration for anyone other than his team, and he even treated them like cattle from time to time.

"Potter…..have you gone mad?" Katrina yawned as she wobbled down the stairs in her robes.  Frank was behind her and Andrew Spinnet was behind him.

"Oh good, you're all up." James said, perkily.  Lily and Sirius glanced at each other, the same expression of mock disgust, as if neither of them could believe they were friends with someone this exasperating.

"Ok, lets go down, before Prongs gets rampaged by furious third years." Sirius said, grabbing his supplies and heading for the door.  Lily followed, along with the rest of the team.

"You alright here Remus?" Lily asked.  "We don't want to leave you here all by your lonesome."

"Don't worry about it.  I'm sure James little yell woke Nicole up.  She'll keep me company." He said with a smile.  "We'll just get ready for the trip later."

"You sure?" she asked, wanting to be reassured.

"Sure, have fun." He answered waving them off.  "Oh, and Lily?"

She turned to face him.  "Try not to throw James off his broom this time.  No captain, no team, remember that." He said.  She smiled and shook her head.  She cleared her throat and nodded, before waving goodbye.

"Right." She said, with a smirk before she left.  She did have a tendency to overreact.

"Ok, team, now gather round." James said on the pitch, and they did.  "We play Ravenclaw next month, before the Spring Holiday.  Now we have time to prepare, so I want to make it perfect.  I mean it, I would like to whoop their asses beautifully if we can. I want to win with over 200 points—"

"Hold on Potter." Lily started.  "What are you asking for, the perfect game?" she folded her arms.  "Winning isn't enough, now we have to play 'perfectly'?"

"Lily, quiet, not in the mood." He said, rather quickly.  "Last time we had next to nothing to prepare, because, well, you remember…" he said, trailing off, not wanting to bring up the last game, which didn't happen.  It was cancelled on account of the psychological damage it could have done to Diana and Lily, and they had no backup players.  McGonagal forced them to stay out of it, which resulted in the game being rescheduled to April 14, and Hufflepuff taking Gryffindor's place against Ravenclaw that day.

"Well, why don't we concentrate on what we know about their tactics, you know, how they play?" Sirius suggested.  "They have an awesome keeper."

"He's right." Frank said, agreeing with him.  "He rivals Renton pretty closely."

"That's true." Said James, thinking hard about it.

"Hold on, where is Renton?" Spinnet asked.  James, and everyone else suddenly noticed she wasn't there.

"You have got to be kidding me!" James said, suddenly infuriated.  "Always late! I swear to god if she doesn't show up today, she's off the team!" James said livid.

"James, don't be stupid." Lily said.  "Who the hell are we going to get to replace her?  She's the best we've got—"

"But she's not HERE!" He said, pointing to the ground.

"James, calm down." Lily said.  "She's probably just—"

"Oh I know where she is.  We ALL know where she is Lily, and she needs to be here, at practice, and she's not, and I swear to god if we lose because of her…." He said, clenching his fist, not wanting to think of the possibility.  Sirius flinched at the thought. 

"We won't lose." Katrina said.  "Not with Chasers like you three, and the two best beaters around.  And I am a fairly good seeker, if I do say so myself." She said.

"She's got a point Potter." Spinnet said.  "Our team is flawless, even if Renton is a little off come game day."

"Whatever, let's just play.  It would be stupid if she showed up now.  I'd strangle her if she did. We end at 11.  I'll keep time, let's just get in the air already." James said.

They practiced until James called time.  It was particularly difficult without a keeper, but the more James thought about it, the more wound up he got.  They ran to the common room, starving and tired, throwing their robes and brooms down thoughtlessly in their dorms.  When Lily entered hers, flustered and sweating, an extremely irritated expression entered her weary features.

"Morning Lil." Diana said casually, smoking a cigarette and leaning against the windowsill.  She was lost somewhere, but managed to croak out a seemingly cheerful response. 

Lily just stared at her, gaping.  "You can't be serious?" she said, thinking Diana had absolutely no right to be in that good of a mood.  

"What?" Diana said, turning away from the window, obviously not knowing what she meant.

"You do remember—please tell me—you forgot we had practice today?" Lily muttered cautiously.

"Oh right, well I woke up late and I didn't really think I should show up anyway being that he would be a bit out of sorts, so I just decided to come back here and get some rest.  Better not at all then late right?" she answered, unfazed at all by Lily's expression of utter shock. 

"I think it's the other way around.  Diana, you should have come." Lily said slowly. "If James ever finds out—"

"RENTON!" they heard and Lily groaned.  Diana just looked perplexed, looking to Lily for guidance.  She quickly discarded her cigarette.

James stormed into their dorm and started ranting like a madman at Diana, whose theory was despondently mistaken.

"What are you doing in here?!" James yelled rhetorically.  "Please tell me—please, Renton…" he started, his voice shaking in anger.  "That you don't have any use for those legs of yours.  Tell me you're paralysed or dying from exhaustion, or have some deadly disease."

"Why would I say that Potter?" she asked, folding her arms in confusion.

He took a deep breath.  "Because….unless you are about to DIE, there is no reason why you couldn't be on that pitch this morning!" he screamed, pointing out her window.

"Oh…..." she said, glancing at it.  "Sorry."  Her blasé manner only maddened him more.

James began to laugh.  "Sorry?  Sorry!  Yeah, yeah me too, and do you know why Renton?"

"I can't comprehend—"

"Because I have had it with you!" he screeched.  "That's it, you're off!"

Diana stood strait up, rivalling his height. She looked him square in the eye, as if challenging him, daring him to repeat himself.  "Off?" she asked, getting angry herself.   

"That's right." He said, unfazed by her sudden rage.

"You're kicking me off the team?!" she said, emphasizing every word.

"That's right." He repeated, indifferent to her.

"You can't do that!" she yelled.

"Watch me!" he roared back.

"Why?" she asked, flabbergasted.  "You have absolutely no reason to do that!"

"Don't I?!"

"How could you?" She asked, flailing her arms.  "I am the best goddamn keeper-"

"Well, don't you hold yourself in high regard." James said, haughtily. 

"Shut up! You will never get any better and you know it!"

"Please."

"Well, let's hear it then.  Give me one good reason—"

"You want to know why Renton? I'll tell you.  You haven't been to one practice on time since Christmas!  You're never around when we have meetings and you show up either ridiculously late or not at all!  You have no respect for me or your fellow team mates—"

She grunted.  "Respect? I wouldn't respect you if you were the goddamn—"

"Not the point." He said, hushing her.  "All you care about is your dim-witted boyfriend as his little circle of mindless Slytherins!"

"How dare you!  What the hell does my personal life have to do with anything Potter?!"

"It has everything to do with it!" he screamed.  "You have been a useless excuse for a keeper ever since you started hanging around with that sleazy, no good—"

"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you Potter.  You have no idea, no idea at all what you are talking about.  Don't criticize what you don't understand!" she squealed.

" I will not tolerate being made out a fool Renton! Not in front of my own team! I don't give a shit who you're fucking!"

She gasped out of incredible degradation and offence.

"Guys! Guys!" Sirius yelled, storming in the room after James.  He came between them because it looked as though James was about to slap her.

"Stay out of it Black!" Diana screamed, diverting her wrath.

"Don't scream at him because you're off the team!" James shot back.

"I am NOT off the team!" she insisted.

"It's not your decision, now is it?"

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child.  What are you, my father!" she said, enraged.

"Well you don't have one now do you Renton?  I'm the one with the pulse!" he yelled, totally pitiless.  

"Both of you, Be quiet!" Lily yelled, intervening.  She had a tone in her voice that told them she wasn't going to tolerate this.  Then she stared at James as if she couldn't believe he had said something so stupid.  Diana's mouth was wide open and Lily could see her reflection in her eyes.

"Fuck you Potter." She said.  "At least mine knew I existed." She sneered.

They both silenced at her bizarre screech.  Even Sirius turned and looked at her strangely. 

Diana glanced at Lily once, then at Sirius, and stormed out of the room, slamming the door.

James looked around at all of them, refusing to admit that he was wrong.

"What?" he asked, as Lily gave him a death glare and Sirius shook his head.

"That was dumb, Prongs. Really dumb." Sirius said, crossing his arms and walking out, hoping to catch Diana before she left.  James and Lily stood there in silence for a moment, both acknowledging that this was way too much drama before noon.

"You're not mad at me too, are you Lily?" he said a few minutes later, sorry, but standing firm on his belief that she should have been kicked off.

"You're just being you, James." She said, walking over to him and putting a hand on his shoulder.  "No, I'm not mad, but you have to apologize to her, and you can't kick her off the team—"

"But, but—"

"No, James." She said.  "She is too good.  You know that.  You have to get your ego out of your ass; it's creating a very large bug that I am not too fond of."

He chuckled slightly.  "Sorry."

"No you're not."

"You're right, I'm not.  She was being totally unreasonable Lily!"

"No need to raise your voice at me I think I am being completely understanding." She said.  Then she sighed.  "I'm going to go catch her."

"I think Sirius tried that."

"Yes, well, she'll talk to _me_." She said, turning around and exiting the room, leaving James alone, frustrated, and annoyed.

Lily walked downstairs to find that Sirius had failed, and Diana was nowhere to be seen.  People were already gathering in the common room and going downstairs to breakfast with their respective cliques.  Remus and Nicole stood with Sirius at the bottom of the stairs, talking of nothing remotely important, and Lily smiled weakly as she joined them.

"She's not here?" she asked, knowing the answer, and looking at Sirius particularly.

"No." he answered.  "She ran out before I had time to catch her."

"Any idea where she went?" Lily asked.

Sirius shrugged and shook his head.  It was always a losing battle as far as Diana was concerned.  Even though he was steadily dating Rebecca Winters for the past month, and had dates with a few other hopeful girls here and there, Diana had never left his mind.  They were all simply distractions, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that it wasn't true.  But he did acknowledge that Diana was different then she used to be, only a month ago.  The girl he was initially attracted to had morphed into something vile, something that reminded him oddly of someone else he had known, but he couldn't put his finger on it.  All he knew was that he didn't like the new Diana.  She made him uneasy.

"Maybe she's at the table downstairs." Nicole said, as she ran her hand through Remus' hair.  If it were possible, Nicole and Remus only got closer, and Remus was the least shy man anyone could have ever met.  He got accustomed to her public displays of affection quicker than anyone would have thought.

Lily chuckled feebly.  "No." she sighed.  "It doesn't matter. Let's just wait for James and go down.  He's not going to end it anytime soon anyways." She said.

"Ok Lily." Remus answered as he led them all to the entranceway and out the door.

"Hey guys, wait up." James called, jogging down the stairs.  They stopped and James intertwined his arm with Lily's, and they made their way down to the Great Hall to eat, completely forgetting where Diana had run off.

~*~

Diana was in the library, too upset to eat anything.  She was unnerved by what James had said to her, considering she had never properly grieved, only covered up the pain with degrading distractions such as sex, alcohol, and the occasional hit of unknown drugs.  Lucius had connections everywhere, being who he was, and coming from such a family.

She didn't think anyone cared about her.  She had ultimately forgiven Lucius for acting that way towards her the day her parents had been killed.  He apologized to her the next day, repeating himself, and telling her that he loved her too much for her own good.  She believed him.  She felt she had no choice.  She thought he was the only one who could love her, that she deserved him in some way, and it was her fault for displeasing him.  She never wanted to be a burden.  

She began to cry after a while.  She looked around and saw no one, only a few people hidden behind shelves, researching, creating trouble for themselves, or simply bored with everyone else.  She didn't know, she didn't care if anyone heard her anyway.  Her woes were deeper then self-control.  

Then a thought dawned on her.  The lonely side of her brain began speaking to her.  

_Why hasn't anyone come after you, _it said_?  Nobody cares.  Your friends don't love you.  Lily doesn't love you.  Lily loves James.  Nicole and Remus only care about each other.  Their world consists of two; there is no room for outsiders.  _

Diana tried to block it out.  She felt as if she were going mad.  She didn't know what to make of anything lately, and now she had to worry about talking to herself.  She prayed she wasn't speaking out loud.

'That's not true.' She thought inside her head.  'Lily loves me, they all do.  They are just busy there is nothing wrong with that.'

_To busy for their best friend? To busy to ask how you are? They haven't noticed at all, have they?_ The voice spoke.  It sounded like herself, only patronizing and demeaning, like she was a child or something.

'Noticed what?' she thought.  This is ridiculous. I really must be going mad, she reasoned, but continued to cry into her sleeve.  Now she cried because she thought herself pathetic.  

They don't understand you.  They are just thinking of themselves.  They are selfish. Can't you see? They've fazed you out already.  You no longer exist.  You aren't a part of them Bella, and you know it…….

But they've never been cruel to me, she thought.  They have never abandoned me.  I'm sure if I asked for help……..

They don't care…..

They do, she thought.  Lily loves me.  Nicole loves me.  James and Remus are my friends.  Sirius………

Sirius is too busy screwing every girl in sight to notice you. Besides, he doesn't see you that way, and you don't see him that way either.  He'll just insult you and laugh in your face if you tried.  It isn't worth it.

I know, she thought.  He is really sweet though……..

"Um, are you alright?" Diana heard a feminine voice say, trying to suppress amusement.  She looked up and tried desperately to wipe her eyes so as to not look too distressed.

"Uh….yea." she answered, sniffing.

"Well if this is you alright, then I would hate to see you really upset." The girl said.  Diana looked up to get a better look at her, since this girl obviously thought she could be funny at a time like this.

The sight that met Diana was an unexpected one.  She expected to see a little girl, a first year perhaps.  Surly one of her own year wouldn't have even attempted to find out the cause of her discontent, and with such casual tones.  

This girl, well, she looked more like a woman, was buxom and beautiful and Diana could tell immediately that she had an unbelievable amount of confidence.  She had shiny, dark, almost curly hair.  Her eyes were large and a beautifully penetrating ebony.  She was taller than Diana, she could tell, but it wasn't as noticeable as her ivory skin colour, which glowed in the dim luminosity.

Diana straitened up.  This girl seemed to have no intention of moving away from Diana's table.

"I don't know who you think you are, but I don't think my mood is any of your business." Diana said, a bit snippy. 

"Relax, dearie, I wasn't prying.  I was just wondering why someone like you would be sobbing in such a lonely, depressing place like the library." The girl said, bluntly.

"Well you're here aren't you?" Diana said, leaning back in her chair.

"Yea, but you don't see me sobbing now do you? I'm researching."

"Well good for you." Diana said, truly not caring.  She tried to divert her attention to something else, anything else.

"Listen here missy, I was only trying to help.  No need to get all antagonistic on me now.  All I was doing was being nice.  It's not my fault if all your friends abandoned you—" she said, turning to leave.

"Hang on." Diana said.  "Who said that my friends abandoned me? I don't think you have any right—"

"Oh please, I can see it all over your pretty face.  Alone, neglected……so you're in love with a Slytherin, big deal.  Aren't we all?  If they can't deal with it and they are going to be so distant well, then they're not real friends now are they?"

Diana thought about this for a moment.  How did this girl know she was dating a Slytherin?  Diana thought it was odd, but it oddly drew her to this person.  She felt she was in the same boat with her for some reason.

"Uh, I suppose not.  How did you—"

"I've seen you around." The girl sighed.  "In my common room."

Then it hit her.  She was a Slytherin herself, but she was a year older than Diana.  Diana had noticed her briefly, but never thought about it for longer than a few seconds.

"Ah." Diana said.  "I'm sorry I never caught your name."

"Well you wouldn't know it unless I personally gave it to you.  Black is my name." The girl said eloquently.  "Bellatrix Black."

"Diana Renton." She replied, and the girls shook hands.

"Yes, our dear Lucius talks about you quite often."

"Does he?" Diana wondered.

"Oh yes.  Says you have real potential." Bellatrix said relaxingly.

"Potential for what?"

"Oh, I have an idea!" Bellatrix said giddily, her mood changing so drastically it surprised Diana.  "What do you say you and I get out of here, skip breakfast altogether, and sneak over to Hogsmeade early and hit all the shops before anyone else can get their puny little hands on anything?"

Right, Hogsmeade, Diana thought.  Well, she couldn't see why not.  Bellatrix seemed to have enough enthusiasm for the both of them.  Lily would probably spend the whole day with James, and she refused to go near him at all.  Sirius would be with one of his girlfriends, and she didn't want to see him anyway.  Nicole and Remus would be too nauseatingly cuddly, which Diana could never stand, and she could be with Lucius and Bellatrix, without people gossiping too much.  Bellatrix would be a nice addition to Snape, whom she despised.

"Sure." Diana said.  'What have I got to lose?' she thought.

"Excellent." She said, satisfied.  "Oh, we are going to have so much fun, lovely!" 

Diana got up and followed her out of the library and out of the Hogwarts entrance.  Filch was nowhere in sight so they dashed out, unnoticed.  

~*~

"Alright, you lot." James began, as he got up from the breakfast table.  "What do you say we ditch this school for once and go out and have some fun?" he said, excited.

Lily laughed.  "It's just Hogsmeade.  We've gone a bunch of times before."

"Yes, but we need a break from this prison Lil, eh?" he said, taking her hand.  Then he inched up closer to her ear.  "And we could probably rent a room above the Hog's Head for the afternoon."

"Absolutely not." She said, rolling her eyes at him.  Then she pinched his arm, hard.  "Honestly, do you ever think with anything other than your privates?"

"Ow, it was just a thought.  I was kidding." He said, as she began to walk away from him.  He followed her outside.  Filch checked off their names quickly as they meandered by, a miserable expression across his rigid face.

"C'mon Nic." Remus said, as he took her hand to leave.  "Padfoot, what do you say we meet at the Three Broomsticks round four to get some drinks?"

"Sure.  I'll be with Winters mostly.  I'll need a break." He said, sighing.

"You can bring her." Nicole said, not getting the message.

"I'd rather not Portman, but thanks." He chuckled.  "I'll tell Prongs."

"Great.  See you then." Remus said, as he and Nicole joined the others on the walk to town.

Sirius felt someone tap him on the shoulder.  He turned to see whom he had expected.

He faked a smile.  "Hello Becca."

"Hello Sirius." She said, flirtingly.  "You ready to go?" she said girlishly.

"Yep." he said.  "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave you around four to have drinks with the guys, you know." He said, pretending to be disappointed.

"ooooooohhhhhh." She whined and tapped her foot.  "This ruins everything." She said, pouting. 

"Why, what did you have planned?" he wondered as they began to walk.  They too were crossed off the list as they passed.  She bit her lip.

"I'll tell you when we get there." She said, sensually.  Sirius sighed.  He hated it when women were difficult.  He wished she would just spit it out.  Now he had to listen to her talk.  In his opinion, Rebecca was only good for one thing, as shallow as that sounded.  He hated all of this romantic nonsense.  It was just a stall as far as he was concerned.

Everyone remained relatively close to one another on the walk to Hogsmeade, but they split up at the entry to the town, waving each other goodbye and saying they would see each other in a couple of hours.

"Where do you want to go?" Remus asked as Nicole looked around for a direction.  

"I don't know." She said.  "Why don't we just walk around a bit?  It's a beautiful day, and it's not that cold."

"Whatever you want to do." Remus said as he kissed her on the cheek.

"So we're here now." Sirius said, letting go of Rebecca's hand, thankfully.  "What is it you want to tell me?"

"Well….." she began.  "I thought that maybe we could….." she motioned him closer.  He leaned in towards her.  "I heard they rent rooms out this time of year at the Hog's Head.  Why don't we go and take a peak?"

Sirius let out a reluctant chuckle.  "You really want to? Now? On a field trip?"

"Well, we're not five Sirius.  We can take care of ourselves." She said, leaning against the window of Gladrags Wizardwear.  

Sirius contemplated her request, very carefully.  The man inside him said, go for it! It is being offered on a silver platter! But then there was that side of him that didn't really want to because it was just too easy.  There was no chase with Rebecca; she gave him nothing to look forward to.  It was always the same and although it was good, he had had better, but he wouldn't dare tell her that.

"Well?" she asked, growing impatient.

A wicked smile crossed his lips, and he ran his hand through his hair.  He had made his decision.  The animal inside him won.  "Sure." He said.  "Let's go."

She smiled sexily.  "Well, we had better get a move on if you have to run off at four, and leave me all alone." She took his hand in hers, and led him to the pub, stopping only to kiss him, before leading him up to a room, which she had neglectfully told him she had reserved in advance.

And in the pub below them, Diana Renton and Bellatrix Black exchanged stories about men, sex, work, clothes, what to do if you are being stalked, the reasons why flirting is an art form, and useful, everyday jinxes that can get you out of the slightest mishap.  Diana could relate to Bellatrix, more so than she could relate to Lily at the moment.  Lily was a virgin so they really couldn't talk about sex, and Bellatrix exuded sex appeal without really trying, something Diana also did exceptionally well.  They laughed and drank and smoked and Diana forgot why she had been so upset.  In fact, Diana hadn't thought of Lily at all.

"So you're a seventh year Bellatrix?" Diana said, puffing on her cigarette and ashing it into the ashtray.  

"Oh yes, and then I'm gone, married."  She said, proudly.

Diana coughed.  "Married? Good lord why the hell would you want to get married right after Hogwarts?  And who are you marrying?" she asked, frantically yet interested.

"Well what else am I going to do?"

"I don't know.  Get a job maybe.  Do something with your life—"

"I have a job Ara." She said, somewhat secretly.  "I'm not worried."

"Well, who is it? The guy?  Does he go here?"

"No, he graduated last year.  My family, well, it has been decided that we were to marry a while ago.  You know, keep it in the blood."

"What does that mean?  Are you two cousins or something?" she said, with a distorted expression of repugnance.

Bellatrix laughed.  "Well, very, very distantly.  What I meant was, keep the blood pure." She said, taking a sip of her alcoholic butterbeer.  She wasn't carded, she could easily pass for twenty-one.

"Oh." Diana said, still confused.  "You only marry pure bloods?"

"That's right." She said, casually.  "All Blacks marry pure bloods."

"Blacks? Oh that's right.  Um, are you related to Sirius?" Diana asked, fascinated. 

Bellatrix snorted.  "Yes, he is my cousin." She said, bitterly.  "Useless." She muttered under her breath.

"He is not useless." Diana said.  

"Well, you don't know him like I know him dearie.  The way he treats his poor mother and brother—"

"Brother?" Diana said, a look of utter shock across her face.

"Oh, yes.  He's young though.  Goes to Durmstrang.  Sweet little thing if you ask me.  Sirius is just a jealous little ungrateful maggot." She said, delightfully.  Diana had never heard of Sirius spoken of in this manner.  She didn't like it at all, and wondered if he indeed had another side to him, one he kept hidden.

Diana shook this feeling off.  "So, the man you're marrying, he is older?"

"Mm hmm."

"What's his name?"

"Rodolphus Lestrange." She said with a smile.

"Well, are you in love with him?"

"He is handsome and he pleases me.  That is all I need.  Love doesn't exist, not real love anyway.  It's for pansies and cowards who want an excuse to be happy.  It gives them hope, I suppose.  But, who am I kidding, Lucius loves you, so he says, I suppose that must count for something." She said, shrugging.  "Maybe you're the exception."

"Um, does he feel, well, the same you do about things like, marrying pure bloods?"

"Oh yes, most definitely.  What are you worried about; you're fine with us."

"But…..I'm a half blood."

Bellatrix's expression soured a bit, but she saved it in the end.  "Really?" she gulped.  Then she paused to think for a moment.  "Well, that's alright. It's not your fault your mother made a bad decision.  And I think you're lovely."  Diana didn't know whether that was a compliment or an insult.

Lucius joined them soon after, with his band of Slytherins.  He brought Crabbe, Goyle, Snape, Avery, Macnair, Nott, Wilkes, and someone Diana didn't recognize, a handsome man.  Bellatrix seemed to know him quite well, and her face lit up at the sight of him.  He introduced himself as Rodolphus Lestrange, a very handsome, dark man in Diana's opinion.

Diana stood up too, to greet Lucius.  He kissed her and sat down next to her.  They got a bigger table in the very back of the pub.  No one seemed to care.

"Well, don't you look happy to see me?" Lucius said, placing a kiss on her neck.  "I was delighted to hear that our lovely Bella had found you and cheered you up."  Diana just smiled and took her seat.  "Have you had a good day so far Darling?"  Diana just nodded, not speaking at the moment.  Lucius didn't notice, but Severus Snape did.  He found her behaviour rather alarming.  Something, to him, just didn't seem right.

"How long have we been walking?" Nicole asked, squeezing Remus' hand.

"I don't know, love, why?" he asked.

"Just curious." She said, shrugging.

"What are you thinking about Nicole? You seem a little quiet." Remus inquired.

"Oh nothing.  I was just thinking of, well, life after Hogwarts." She said, honestly.

Remus looked at her oddly.  "After? Why?"

"Well we're not going to be in school forever you know.  It's time we figure out what we want to do.  Remember those career meetings we had with McGonagal last year before the O.W.L.s? Our futures are so close it's scary."

"Yea." He said, unnerved by the conversation.

"Do you know what you want to do yet?" Nicole asked.

"Uh…..well….." Remus had never really given this any thought.  He chose to ignore it until the last moment possible.  "I haven't really decided yet."

"Well do you know what area of study you want to pursue?"

"I don't know Nicole………Research probably, I am really not sure."

"Well that's good, honey.  What would you want to research?" she was getting excited.

"Um…." Remus was getting increasingly uncomfortable.  "I guess….diseases."

"What kinds?"

"Incurable ones." He said, seriously. 

"Wow, baby, that is so noble." She said, stroking his cheek.  He blushed, but shrugged.  

"Yeah." He said.  "So, sweetheart what would you want to do?"

"Write." She said, flatly.

"Write?" he questioned.  "Don't you think that's a little bland? Write what?"

"Everything, well, the news and such.  I want to be a journalist.  I want to write about things that matter and change the world.  I want to bring people what they need to know, and tell the truth and—" she was getting riled up by the subject.

"Whoa, dear, calm down." He said, chuckling.  "And how do you plan on making a living at this? What about marriage and children someday?  Don't you want that?"

"Of course I do." She said.  "And besides." She said, putting her arms around his neck.  "You'll still be around, won't you?"

Remus tensed up.  "What—what do you mean, well, yea I'll be but—"

"Remus I want to tell you something, but I don't want you to freak out, like some people alright?"

"Depends on what it is." He said, cautiously.  

"Well, and I don't want to sound clingy or anything, but, I plan on spending my future……well…….with you.  I'm in love with you Remus."

Remus didn't think he could have been happier if his life depended on it.  He grinned from ear to ear and scooped Nicole up in the air and kissed her, much to her relief.

"So I guess this means you're happy about it?" she joked, ecstatic. 

"Happy? Nicole happy doesn't even describe it.  I have been in love with you since the second I saw you on the train that day.  You are my fantasy, you're perfect I—"

"Alright my love, no need to get all cheesy on me now."

They laughed and walked some more, until a disturbing thought hit Remus' head, and his smile faded.  This meant that he would have to tell her somehow.  She would find out, if they ever got married, that he was a werewolf.  It would be the hardest thing he ever had to do, and he became nervous, and panicky.

"Oh my god, James, come here!" Lily screeched as they roamed around Honeydukes eagerly.  

They bought a huge load of candy and sweets, and the majority of it had been eaten before they even left the store.  Lily's favourite had been and always would be Chocolate Frogs, while James stuck to the ever-popular Bernie Botts Every Flavour Beans.  They had to be physically walked out of the shop, because they had nearly cleaned them out of merchandise.  

"Well, so much for that." James said, teasingly, as he kissed her on the lips sweetly and wetly.  If she hadn't pulled away after a few minutes they would have blocked traffic all afternoon.  She cleared her throat, winked at him and walked down the street towards the other shops.  "Come here, you vixen." He called, slightly embarrassing her.

"James!" she said, looking to see if anyone heard.  She shushed him as he came up behind her.  "Don't do that."

"Sorry." He said, not meaning it and kissing her again.  She tugged at his hair, playfully, messing it up worse than it already was.  The trouble was, he liked it like that, and caught his reflection in a window, making sure it looked like he wanted it to look.

They wandered into Quality Quidditch Supplies, (an: I know it says its only located in Diagon Alley, but let's just pretend for now, shall we.)  and enthusiastically wandered through it, pointing out new performance enhancing equipment.  

"Look, we could buy, this……and this…..and this….."James ranted, pointing out anything he fathomed would make them win even more perfectly then they were already winning.

"James, don't be silly." Lily said, pulling items out of his hand and putting them back in their proper places.  "We don't need any of this and we can't afford it—"

"Wait a sec……I can afford it." 

"You know what I meant." She said, slapping him lightly.  "The team doesn't need it and you shouldn't spend your parents money on such things, that's all."

"Oh I see." He said, wrapping her into another hug.  "You like giving me orders, don't you Evans? You love telling me what to do." He said, kissing her neck.

"Always." She whispered, turning and kissing him again.

"Dominant little thing."

"We'll see." She said, pulling away.  "Now stop stalling………." Lily gasped and ran to the other side of the store.

"What?" James asked, running after her.  When he saw what she was referring to he gasped right along with her.

"Look at it." she said, in awe.  "It's beautiful."

"The Nimbus 500." James mumbled.  "Duel action automatic steering control, power speeds, oak wood finish, feather light…….." he muttered.

"It's gorgeous." Lily said, admiringly.  James looked at her adoringly.

"You're gorgeous, Lily." He said, and he meant it.  She would have blushed only she'd been hearing it every day for the past month.  It sort of lost its finesse after a while.

As they left the shop they sat on a nearby bench to rest.  After a minute of not so awkward silence, James turned to his girlfriend purposefully. 

"Lil?" he asked.

"Yep." She answered, crossing her legs.

"I was wondering……Spring break, I know my father must have mentioned something to you about it."

"Not really." She sighed.  "I don't know where we're going to go."

"We?" oh right, Diana." He said.  "Well, listen, um, if you want to….." he started nervously, and out of character.  "You could, stay with me, at my place, well, my parents' place." He clarified.  "Sirius is already staying with us anyway, and we have more than enough room, for you and Diana, if you wanted to."

She thought about it, and she couldn't see why not.  She really like James and was even growing to love him, beyond her control.  What would it mean if they were to spend the entire Spring Vacation under the same roof?  Would James be able to control himself?  Would she feel obligated?  They hadn't slept together yet.  Lily wasn't ready.

"Uh, Diana too?" Lily asked, to buy more time.

James smiled knowing what she was doing.  "Diana too, if she can suppress her attitude long enough." He said.  "And Sirius."

"Ok, I got it." she said.  "Uh……yea." She said, getting excited now.  "Yes James, that'd be great." She smiled and pecked him quickly on the lips before checking her watch.  "It's almost four." She said.  "We should probably—"

"Yea." He said, elated that she was going to spend the vacation with him.  He didn't know what his expectations would be for the trip.  He didn't want to pressure her, but he was getting restless.  Despite how much he ultimately cared for her, he needed some kind of release, and soon.

Hey made there way a few blocks over to the Three Broomsticks.  As soon as they got there they noticed an alarming amount of people crowded by the doorway, and Nicole and Remus planted out front.

"What's going on?" Lily asked as they were acknowledged. 

"Packed." Remus said, simply.  "No tables, no room, no nothing."

"Ugh, this sucks." James said.  "I really, really, wanted a Butterbeer.  I craved it, you don't even know."

"Yea me too." Lily said, rubbing her stomach.

"Well, we could go somewhere else." Nicole suggested.

"Oh yea? Where?" James asked.

"Well the Hog's Head is open isn't it?" she said.

"Nic, we can't go in there." Lily said.  "It's dodgy." She whispered, as if avoiding being overheard.

"So, it's the middle of the day, and they know it's a Hogsmeade weekend for the students.  I am sure they will be more than happy—"

Nicole was interrupted by the sound of heavy breathing coming from behind her and a plump boy running smack into Remus.

"Peter!" Remus yelled, annoyed.  "What the hell are you doing mate?"

"Hold on." James said.  "What are you doing here?"

"I….." Peter paused to breathe.  "Overslept." He chocked out.

"Oh, well, nice to see you Peter." Lily said, amused by his sudden entry into the conversation.  "We were just deciding what to do for the remainder of the afternoon."

"No, we've decided." Nicole said.  "Let's just go to the Hog's Head, Lily.  It's no big deal."

"Well, what do you think James?" she asked, folding her arms. 

"I don't care, I just want a damn butterbeer." He whined.

"Oh fine, you big baby." Lily said.  "Let's go."

"What about Padfoot?" James asked, as they all began to walk toward the pub.

"Still with Winters I expect.  He'll find us." Remus said.

"Oh right.  Well, there are only so many places we could be, let's go." James said.

They approached the entrance to the Hog's Head and reluctantly peered through the window.

"Is that? Is that Diana?" Remus asked, as he squinted his eyes to see inside.   Lily quickly pushed him out of the way and gazed in herself. 

"Holy shit." Lily said.

"What happened?" she heard a voice behind her say.  It was Sirius.

"What the fuck is she doing in there, with _them_?" she hissed.  "This is ridiculous."

"What's going on?" Sirius yawned, incredibly confused.  "What are we looking at? Why aren't you at the Three Broomsticks?"

"Diana, in there, packed, couldn't get a seat." James said, quickly.

"Diana's packed? What?" Sirius said, not really paying attention.

"What did you take a nap?" James asked.  "Pay attention.  Oh, you were with Winters." He said, mindlessly.  "What did you guys do, huh?"

Sirius glared at him.  "Stuff." He said, cockily.  "So what are we going to do, just stand here? I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry." Remus said.

"Which is why we should be inside, eating." Sirius said, pointing at the door.

"Can we just go in already?" James said, whining.

"Go ahead." Lily said.  "No one is stopping you."

James huffed, opened the door and went inside.  Lily followed, along with everyone else.  And there, to their astonishment, they saw Diana, apparently enjoying herself with the people they detested.  When Diana saw them, her smile lessened and she sneered at all of them, still angry.

Lily's mouth gaped open.  "I don't know what the bloody hell her problem is." She said harshly and plopped down on a chair, emphasizing her anger.

"Does she see us?" Nicole asked, thinking that must be the reason.

"She sees us." James said.  "Bitch, betraying us like that."

"Don't talk about her like that." Sirius said, picking up what seemed to be fragments of an ancient menu.

"I don't give a shit, and neither does she, apparently." James answered.

"Lily then glared at James.  "This is all _your_ fault." She whispered angrily. 

"What?!"

"If you hadn't been such an ass this morning she wouldn't—"

"Please Lily that has nothing to do with it.  She chose them over us long before I snapped at her. And if she thinks I'm apologizing now—"

"Just forget it." Remus intervened.  "Let's just order."

"I have to go to the ladies room." Diana said, incredibly unnerved by the fact that they refused to acknowledge her presence.  She threw down her napkin and pushed her chair out.

"What me to come with you honey?" Bellatrix asked.

"Do you want _me_ to?" Lucius asked.

"No, I'm fine thanks." Diana replied, walking over in a huff.  Before she could open the door she heard a noise that made her stop.

"ppst." Diana turned around to see Snape standing there.

"What?" she said, crossing her arms.

"We have to talk." He said, whispering so the others didn't hear.

"What? About Lily? Get over it I am so not in the mood—" she said, pushing the door.  He blocked it shut.

"No." he said.

"What then because I would like to pee some time this century."

"Why are you here?" he asked abruptly.

"What? What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, offended.

"You don't need this." He said.  "You're not like that Renton." He said, pointing to the table.

"What are you talking about? Leave me alone." She snapped.  "And how the hell do you know what I'm like.  You don't know me." She loudly whispered.

"I've seen you, with her, err, them.  You don't _need_ this." He repeated, more forcefully then before.  "You're better than this."

Diana was in a little bit of a shock.  Was Severus Snape telling her that she was too good to hang out with _him_? This was an odd side to Severus she hadn't seen before.  She wasn't sure if she was comfortable with it.  It could have been a trap for all she knew.

"Listen Snape." She said, finally.  "I don't think it is any of your goddamn business what I do or who I see.  Maybe when your friends abandon you, you'll understand.  But right now, you are the last person I am going to take advice from.  Got it?"

"You're making a mistake Renton." He said harshly.  "It's too late for me but—"

"_I'm_ making a mistake? I'm sorry if you don't want me stealing your friends away Snape, but this is a weird way to go about getting rid of me. And I have shit on you and you know it.  Things Lily doesn't know, but I will be only too happy to—"

"Fine." he spat, noticing his failure.  She smirked as he walked away, but all the while questioning his intentions.

Lily wondered form the front of the pub why Diana seemed so changed, so distant.  Lily hated it and she felt it strain her as she sat there, pretending to read the very limited menu.  She saw Snape return to the table, a disappointed expression on his face, but he glanced at her once, and tried to smile.  She half-heartedly returned it, without much thought.

As Diana returned from the bathroom Sirius had the expression of absolute hatred as he looked at her table once more.

"What is with you?" Peter asked, noticing his facial expressions.

"Nothing." He muttered unconvincingly.  He stared at Diana, her sweet faced spoiled by her vicious attitude.  He cursed under his breath.  Diana caught his eye for a moment, and Sirius thought he saw guilt through her eyes, but it only flickered for a second.  Unlucky for him, Bellatix noticed this also.  She looked back and forth between Diana and Sirius, reading Sirius like a book and staring at Diana interestingly.  She winked at Sirius playfully and he sneered back at her.  As he looked at Diana again, beyond his control Bellatrix understood, and made sure he knew it.

She began to laugh, unsubtly and threw her head back, mocking him from afar.  Diana had no idea what she was doing so she simply raised an eyebrow at her.  When Bellatrix came to her senses she leaned in closer to Diana's ear.

"Yes, potential you do have." She laughed.

"I don't understand." Diana said, quizzically.  She pointed as Sirius and Diana still didn't understand.

"Do you see my cousin over there?"

"Yes."

"Look at him.  He is so jealous of you he can't even stand it." Bellatrix said, smiling.

"Jealous? Of me? No, you're wrong." Diana said, flatly.

"Well why not? Here you are, being embraced by the very people who want nothing to do with him. It's sad, really."

"I don't think so Bellatrix.  Sirius could care less—"

"Well then maybe it's something else, hmm?"

"Like what?"

"Like you.  Maybe, well, I don't want to say. I don't want to ruin your cute little friendship."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that, the way he looks at you, I mean, it's so obvious."

"What's obvious?" Diana asked, with irritation. 

"Are we ready to go?" Lucius asked, cheerfully as he threw his napkin down on the table.  Diana's attention was immediately diverted.  "Ara?"

"Um, sure." She said, as he helped her out of her chair.  She was almost at the door when she heard Lily call her name.  "Yes?" she asked, hotly, crossing her arms, indicating she might be in a hurry.

"No need to snap at me." Lily said, crossly.  "But, you know, you could spend some time with us, you know, your _friends_." Lily said, motioning her hand around the table.  Diana didn't even glance at them.

"No thanks, although I appreciate the offer." She said, airily.  

"So you're telling me that you'd rather—" Nicole said, getting angry for the first time in a while.

"Nicole please." Diana said, silencing her with her hand.  "Don't start."

"Darling are you coming?" Lucius called edgily, one hand in his pocket and the other holding the door as people walked out.  Bellatrix was next to him, looking very pleased.  Diana nodded at Lily's table and glanced back once more to look at Sirius with consideration, before walking out of the pub herself, Lucius behind her.  Bellatrix stood there for a minute, looking at all their perplexed faces, with a look of absolutely triumph in her eyes, as she nodded and left.

"When we get back to the common room tonight, I am going to slap her." Nicole said.

"I'll hold her down." James said.

"Not before I remove the stick out of her bum." Lily said hotly.

"Or whatever substance she's been brainwashed with." Remus added.

James sighed.  "It is my fault, isn't it?" he said.

"No." Sirius spoke up.  "It's my fault." They all looked at him with odd looks on their faces.  He decided to explain.  "Bellatrix got to her before I did, and now it's too late."

"Too late?" Lily asked, worriedly.

"I should have seen it before.  Why else—" he trailed off.  "Never mind." Sirius said.  "She's uh, she's gone now." He said, pessimistically. 

"Sirius if you don't tell me what the hell you are talking about—" Lily said, frantically.

"Lily, forget it! We don't matter to her anymore, you understand?"

"I understand." Remus said.  James nodded.  "Let's just get out of here, alright?" he said, paying the bill.

"Well I don't." Nicole said, refusing to get up.

"Let's just say." James started.  "That Diana Renton, as we know her……we just might not see here around for a while, that's all."

That's right." Remus seconded.  "She's Arabella now."

(I'm going to leave you there, sorry, but it was a nice long one to make up for that horrible wait I put you all through.  I am sorry, but Order of the Phoenix had to be read and overanalysed, and worked into the story, you get it.  Not a happy ending to this chapter I am sorry to say, and not as funny, but it's my mood that determines these things, and this time it said, "be evil." So that's what I did. Last chapter was "be depressing." You get it. it will only get worse before it lightens up again. Be patient, and I love all of my lovely reviewers!) 

Now here are my thank you's that are seriously overdue:

Nata~ well I'm putting up my chapter now :) I have no idea when updates will be, because my schedule is all over the place, and figuring out what to write has been difficult lately. But I am not a genius; Jo Rowling is, but thank you so much for the compliments.

Dncr119~you have reviewed this so many times which I found so cool.  My favourite was when you said it was Shakespeare only funnier.  That one made my day, being compared to him :) and you are not a moron, you're adorable and I'm so glad you like it!

Dragon-gurl~ yes I know, he's awful, I'm sorry. But I'm happy you're enjoying it and thanks for adding me to your favs. Love ya!

JessBlack***quake~ thanks! You're sweet and there will be more D/L because it is a crucial plot point, and it's only going to get worse, much worse I am sorry to say. But you're great! Keep reading!

Dazzle~ well I do apologize for the fact that you wasted 5 hours reading this, and so early at that! Thank you so much for adding me to your favs, and don't worry, Sirius will be in the picture in the end.  She just doesn't know yet ho much she loves him :) Love ya!

Caroline! Thanks so much, and I'm sorry for the smoking, but I wanted it in there anyway ***shrugs***

Allie~ Thanks~ you rock!

Gravity Drops~ Thanks! And teeny, what a cute name! I'm glad you like it!

Fairy Fire Eyes~ yes she does deserve Sirius, and she'll get him too, sit tight! I love that you like it!

Shayomac~ thank you for the wonderful compliment! And I was so excited on the 21st.  I read it of course, and loved it! your eagerness puts me in a good mood :)

High?D~ thanks for adding me to your favs. Love ya! Glad you like it!

Angelisa Snape~ she isn't breakin up with Malfoy, as you gathered, oh well. Snape is coming back, don't worry I haven't forgotten about our dear Severus.

Neo-Queen Serenity~ yes sad, sorry, but thrilled you like it, keep reading!

Jen~ well I certainly don't want to die, then you would have nothing else to read, and then where would we be? But here it is and I'm glad you enjoy it so far! The death threats keep me motivated…..uh, well, sort of :)

WildChild~ I hate him too, believe me.  I know he's an asshole, and I do feel bad for the way he treats her. But it adds drama, you know? Oh, and about what Renton told Black…..since it's PG-13 I can't really go into detail.  Let's just say he happens to be very talented with that tongue of his. That's all I'm going to say :)

SilverRose~ Thank you so much. I love my characters too, and I'm glad you do too :)

Elegystar~ I know it was sad, but I warned you :) you are one of my constant reviewers and I always enjoy your compliments. And thank you for reviewing the other too, you are wonderful :)

Wizardduel2~ I know, lots of death, I'm sorry.  The Diana/Malfoy thing is going to play out for a while I'm afraid. It isn't that easy, breaking up with a Malfoy, but I will tell you right now that she and Sirius WILL get together in the end, I promise, but only after, well, I can't tell you :) but keep reading and you'll see.

Lelegurl9~ I'm sorry it was so sad, and she'll end up in Sirius' arms eventually, just sit tight :) oh, and let me thank you also for reviewing Forgotten Dreams too. I never said I wasn't going to continue it; I rather like it, but that chapter I didn't feel like writing any more, that's all. And thank you for putting me on your favourites. It was a pleasant surprise :)

Melissa~ yes, L/J fluff will be soon :) glad you enjoy it!

Moon Princess~ love your reviews as always, and thank you for saying happy birthday to me like 100 times.  I always love your comments, and our endless theory discussions. I love you! Muah!

Freakyfroggurl22~ you are always the first one to review my new chapters and you are so cool! Keep reading! Love ya!

Guard Girl~ I was ashamed of her too, and I was thinking for a while whether or not I should make her do it.  I know it is disgusting and I wish she had better morals, but she just doesn't want to be alone.  I would have chosen the bathroom too. And falling asleep in the arms of the man I love? Oh yea, if only…….oh well, we can dream about it, and I will lighten up this chapter. Depressing ones will be few and far between :) 

Bic Papermate~ thank you, I will keep updating :) just so you are clear about Malfoy, well, he doesn't love her, not like Sirius does, she's just blind and confused.  I'm glad you like it though :)

Khel shaye~ thank you for adding me to your favourites! I was very happy to see it there. And see, I put Lily and James in a room, although nothing happened. Not yet anyway :) you're lovely! And I love the tears, nice touch :)

ginnyNharrysecretlove~ thank you for my birthday wish! It was very sweet. Not quite a birthday cake, but I got the idea :)

fiery red-haired girl~ thanks, I liked writing the kiss, even though I'll never get a chance to actually do it  and thank you for my birthday wish, and for putting me on your favorites. 

Alexa Donaghy~ I know, I know, I really wasn't thinking, but when you have a few beers, then people start doing shots. I was like sure! And I was throwing up in the bathroom the rest of the night. ***Sighs*** it happens to all of us :( 

Xnedra~ I find it funny that you compare my work to chocolate cake, or mud cake as you so described this. I don't mind that you like this better, it's my work just the same. I like this one because I have fun writing it. The other one is purely literary work. I concentrate on the writing more in the other one, although without it, this one wouldn't exist :) and to hell with your asshole teachers who make you take a test on a Saturday, I hope all went well :)

MARY Y OKIDOKI~ Gracias!   yo me siento feliz que usted aprecie mi cuento. odio también Malfoy y Renton, pero es necesario ahora. verá pronto. Ok enough Spanish, I am just not in the mood…….and what does Lucius do, huh? You're 13 sweety, are you sure you want to know? Well, he knows what he's doing, with his mouth, let's say. I'm glad you like it, and thank you for putting me on your favorites :)

Lily's Star~ well I'm glad you like both my stories, you are very sweet :) I know you're not up to here yet, but whatever.  Thanks so much :)

Feather~ your review got lost with the pack, but you know I always look forward to them.  You have the most interesting things to say, and you always get every single hint, which makes me enjoy this even more. And I'm glad you love my Sirius, so do I. He is so adorable :) love ya, talk to you soon!

~To everyone else, whoever you are, I am forever grateful for all of them, even though like, 10 of you got lost. I did not forget about you.  Love you all, and I can't believe all of you like it so much, despite how all over the place I am, and how weird or sad things might get. It all depends on my mood, you know. I have to decide what's going to happen because I am certain there will be a lot of plot twists we don't know about as of right now. I want the story to be accurate to at least correspond somewhat to the Order of the Phoenix. That said, I hope you all enjoyed it, may all of you be right in your predictions, and we can all obsess about it later on :) Have a lovely day!


	18. The Transitional Chapter Where Nothing H...

Disclaimer: see previous chapters.

Author's note: I am explaining a few things right now. It seems some of you are a bit confused, and that's ok. I am always happy to clarify.  This is very broad, I feel it's faster than doing the individual justifications. 

~The first thing a lot of you have been asking me is "when does it get happier?" I warned all of you in the summary that it was going to get Angsty later on in the story. Well, this is later on in the story. Now it won't be forever, but it will last long enough, but it's only with the S/D story line.  Well…….we'll see…….(oops, there's that evil woman again)

~ The next thing is the Diana/Arabella thing.  Some of you don't understand this, but that is my fault.  Ok, Diana's full name is Diana Arabella Renton.  Arabella is her middle name.  Lucius calls her that because he likes to have a "pet name" for her. It also kind of represents the person she turns into, so to speak, and it is, in a way, her alter ego.  She is called that when she is among the Slytherins in general at this point in the story.  That's what I meant by James' comment of "She's Arabella now." Also, you may have noticed that the name Arabella comes up somewhere else.  Arabella Figg, anyone? Yes, some of you noticed :) I know it's not in canon now because of book 5, but I'm changing that slightly, but we are nowhere near that part of the story.  

~But what is happening to her, and what WILL happen to her I have intended ever since I thought her up in the first place.  I have told the people who have asked me who she is going to end up with, and if you've read the sequel you'd know right away (not that its any secret) its going to be Sirius, don't worry, I am not that cruel.  I can't take the poor boy being heartbroken any more than you all do, but for now, it has to be done.  I know she is not pleasant now. In fact, she's a fucking bitch to be honest, but people deal with grief in different ways, and I guess I'm trying to say something with her behaviour (I am giving myself too much credit)

~As for Lucius loving Diana……..draw your own conclusions. As for Diana loving Lucius……….hmmm…..I'll have to give that one some Sirius thought ;)…….but let's put it this way……she "thinks" she does……..and her friends aren't "letting her" do that to herself…..can't explain anymore.  I'm just going to say read.

~As for Lily and James……..we all know what James is like now, but I just might give him more depth, because I don't think a smart woman like Lily could ever end up marrying someone like him (the arrogance and blatant stupidity).  There has to be more (now I'm just thinking out loud, oh god)

~Narcissa is Bellatrix's sister (which I have yet to mention).  So, yea, she's a Black.  Bellatrix is Sirius' cousin, and a Slytherin (not confirmed by J.K.)  She is going to marry Rololphus Lestrange, thus becoming Bellatrix Lestrange.  If you've read book 5, this should be easier to understand. If you haven't, then I just made you understand:) And I hate her, you hate her, we all hate her, but, she is so much fun to write, and is essential to the plot.  Well, at least she is now :)

I'm done for now. I hope I've answered your questions :) and I hate lengthy authors notes so I pity you all.  But I love you guys, especially the faithful ones. You know who you are, the ones who will love me no matter what I write and how royally I screw up the characters and put them in so much pain.  I happen to like drama and life isn't all snowbunnies and bubble gum all the time.  The ending will be happy, just live with that :):) now for heaven's sake, get on with it! I didn't write the chapter so you could only read the author's note which by the way is a page and a half on Microsoft Word :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*(For those of you who lost track of time…..this is about a second after the last chap ended)

"What in the hell does that mean?" Nicole spat.  "That's not her name."

"Doesn't matter." Sirius sighed.  "Can we please get out of here?"

"Not until you tell me why she wont be 'as we know her' anymore.  What exactly are you suggesting?" Nicole asked.  

She and Lily glared at Sirius, and hinted by the crossing of their arms that they weren't moving until he provided at least some sort of legitimate rationalization of what he was saying.  James and Remus looked at him too, silently begging him to get them out of there as quickly as possible.  The last thing each of them wanted was an unhappy girlfriend, and they still had time left until they had to return to school.  Peter still sat back and shifted awkwardly in his chair.

"Well…." Sirius began.  "You know that saying 'everything looks better in the Dark'?"

Lily and Nicole exchanged confused glances.

"Uh, no." Lily said.  "Did you just make that up?"

"No, well, what I mean is that, once one side is presented to you, and it's blurred because you can't see clearly, but from what you do see it looks tempting, even though it's really terrible and a trap that you can't get out of and—"

"You're not making any bloody sense." Lily said, growing impatient. 

"Well I'm trying to do this off the top of my head and it's not that easy—"

"Wait, I think I know what you're trying to say." Nicole said.

"You do?" Remus asked.  

"I think the expression you're looking for is 'the grass is always greener on the other side.'" She said, matter-of-factly. 

"Yes, exactly." Sirius said.

"But the 'Dark' thing works too.  When things are in the dark you cant see them clearly, therefore making them look better then they are." Nicole said, shrugging.

"How did you do that?" Remus said, looking at her in awe. 

"Well he wasn't speaking a different language, Remus." Nicole said.

"Still……Impressive."

"So what you're saying is that Diana sees the Slytherins as an 'ideal' group and she wants to be a part of them instead of us?" Lily said, incredulously.  "I thought she knew better than that."

"No Lily." James said.  "It's not that she wants it." Lily was slightly shocked at the way James responded.  She thought she almost heard solemnity in his voice.  

"It's just that sometimes……anything seems better than what's here, in front of you.  It's like, no matter how horrible something may be, it seems always better then what you've got, because what you've got is shit, and you'll do anything to get away from it.  She is better than that but, she doesn't know it.  She doesn't have any self-respect, you can tell.  She just wants to be, well, loved I guess.  Everyone wants that.  She is just looking for it in the wrong place.  She's also impressionable right now.  She's hurting, and when a person, uh, woman like Bellatrix comes and promises to fix it, then, she's going to go in that direction.  Unless she realizes this, it's inevitable."  

There was a pause for a few seconds, as they tried to interpret where this was coming from.  

"Wow." Peter said, enthralled.

"Holy shit."  Nicole said.  "Someone call Freud, I think Potter just had an epiphany."

"Where the hell did that come from?" Remus asked.  "You've thought about this?"

"A little bit." He said, offhand.  "It just makes sense." James said.

"You think?" Lily blurted out, sounding harsher than she meant to.

"Yes, Lily, I think." James answered in the same tone.

"You'd never know it." she said, looking at him oddly.

"Thanks for the compliment."

"I was kidding." She said.

"Well, apparently, you don't know how to kid properly because we would both be laughing." He said.

She was a little bit taken aback at James sudden mood alteration.  She wasn't expecting it.

"But, What's scary is that, she thinks it's her choice, but it's not.  People like that, especially Slytherins have, how should I phrase this, an effect on people.  They make certain things look, um, glamorous, let's say." Sirius said.

"So, she would rather be a Slytherin than a Gryffindor?" Nicole asked.

"She would rather be bad than good?" Lily said.

"It's like this." Remus interrupted.  "Diana is smart, we know that, and she knows that.  She's clever, she knows that too.  Slytherins happen to be well, not smart all the time, but they are certainly clever.  It's what they're known for.  She could be considered one of those people who could have been in that house, but she's not for a very specific reason.  Slytherins are conniving, and she's not like that, which is why she won't see it coming.  She doesn't play mind games with people like they do."

"How did this happen?" Lily said, irritated, glaring at Sirius.  Nicole seemed to feel the same way.

"Why are you both looking at me? I don't know." Sirius spat.

"Well, apparently you do, Sirius, or we wouldn't be having this conversation." Nicole fought.  "This woman, this Bellatrix was it? What is she? Is she….one of those…..people, oh what are they called?"

"Death Eaters?" James said.

"And he knows another one." Sirius said.  "You're on a roll."

"Don't change the subject." Nicole said.  People in the pub were starting to look at the teenagers with interest now.  The words 'Death Eaters' had been mentioned and they perked their ears up to get a better listen.

"I don't know." Sirius said.

"Liar." Lily responded.

"Listen." Sirius said, angrily lowering his voice.  "You have to shut up now Lily.  Do you really want to be overheard in a place like this?" 

"Conversations spread fast here Lily." James muttered. 

Lily looked around, and saw eyes quickly dart back to their tables and drinks.  She nodded, although she was still troubled. 

"Can we go now?" Remus whined.  

"Ugh, absolutely." Sirius said, and was the first out the door.  

Nicole and Lily looked at each other again, and joined him and the rest of the men outside.  It seemed so dreary in the Hog's Head, Lily thought.  You'd never know how sunny it was outside by the looks of it in there.  Were the windows really that dirty? She thought.  And all those people, listening to everything they were saying.

By the time they were down the street it was time to return to Hogwarts.  The day seemed a bit of a blur to Lily and Nicole, and they both chose to give Sirius the silent treatment the entire walk back.  Lily frantically searched for Diana in the crowd, but to her distress she didn't see her, or any of the Slytherins she had seen in the pub for that matter.  This worried her even more.

They returned to the common room less happy than when they had left it that morning.  It was almost dark outside, Lily noticed, and as she went into her room she realized she was alone.  James hadn't even walked her up.  The day had taken a strange turn that none of them wanted, and it even sort of depressed them.  No one, however, more so then Sirius.

"You look upset, Padfoot." James noticed as he shut the door to their room.  

"Yes, well, what are you gonna do?" he replied.

"You know what I think." James said, lying down on the bed.  His muscles ached from the cold and the walking they had done.

"What?" Sirius replied, taking of his shoes.

"I think you're lying to yourself." James said, bluntly. 

"Really now?  And why would I do that?" he asked, half amused.

"Well because you're scared of the truth, obviously." James replied.  "That's why people lie to themselves in the first place, right?"

"Truth? What truth?" he asked, annoyed.

"About Renton."

"Ugh, are we still talking about her? I thought we moved on." He groaned.

"You haven't.  And you've been downright miserable." James said.

"No I haven't, I mean, I have, moved on that is. I am fine.  I told you I was over her."

"No you're not, and we all know it too.  You're worried about her."

"I am not." He defended.  "She's just a woman." 

"Well, not to you." James said.

"Can we drop this?"

"Nope. Not until you explain yourself.  It'll make you feel better."

"Oh what is this Prongs?  Suddenly you are the authority on how everyone is feeling? It doesn't matter!  SHE does not matter!  None of them do!"

"There you go.  A big, fat, lie." James said, calmer then ever.  "And it wasn't even believable."

"Fine. I'm a liar, happy?" he huffed.

"See, this is you avoiding it."

Sirius became increasingly frustrated that James did not understand his point, even though he knew James was right.  Sirius calmed himself down and sat on the bed.  He said nothing, nor did James.  Sirius took a deep breath, immersed in his own private misery.  

Why he pined for her he didn't know.  James knew.  He could tell.  Remus knew too, but Sirius was delaying his disclosure by continually telling himself that she didn't matter, that girls in general didn't matter.  Their sole purpose of them was for gratification, and he knew he could do that on his own whenever he pleased.  It just seemed so mundane now, so trivial.  Even the world was changing around him and evil and suffering seemed closer to home.  

James was thinking the exact same thing.  When school had started all they had cared about was pranking the so-called evil wenches that tormented them daily, but had the pleasure of getting even with.  He thought about Lily, and how awful she seemed at first.  He didn't remember what drew her to him, or vice versa, but he did know that after all this time, after the deaths of her parents, that she owed up to the flower that bore her name, and he would make sure he told her.  

He respected Lily, and he never thought he would.  Their relationship was still new, and in the infatuation stages, and he didn't like how he acted around her.  Acting like the pompous playboy worked with other girls, and had worked on Narcissa, but would not work on Lily.  He felt stupid, juvenile, and he knew he wasn't like that.  At least he hoped he wasn't like that.  Sure, he did well in school without much effort.  He had always taken that for granted.  But no, he had to change if he wanted Lily to last, and surprisingly he did.  He had the oddest feeling that he would never get tired of being with her, a feeling he welcomed, but feared.

Sirius, now uncomforted by the silence, decided to smoke a cigarette to calm him down, because thinking happy thoughts wasn't working.  He didn't really have any he could think of offhand.  Happy childhood? Nope, he thought, and dismissed it.  Pranks? Yes, but most of them included her.  Damn it, he thought.  Transforming? Yes, the thought, and smiled.  He had always enjoyed their nightly conquests during their monthly full moons, but somehow, it just wasn't enough to avert his attentions for too long. James started to speak again.

"Why don't you just admit it?" James said, as he began to watch Sirius.  James could tell he was trying desperately hard not to appear vulnerable in any way.

"Sorry?" Sirius said, pretending he didn't understand the question.

"Admit it." James repeated, not changing his tone, whatsoever.  He did, however, straiten up and steal one of Sirius' cigarettes.  Sirius then moved his spot from his bed to the window, opening it.  A swift breeze blew in and it startled him.  There was hardly any wind before now.

"Admit what?"  He was staring out the window now.  

"That all this, what you feel for Renton…….It's more than just lust isn't it?"

"What makes you think that?"  He noticed it beginning to snow.

 "If it was lust, you'd be over it by now.  Like you're over it with Winters."

Sirius turned to him.  He nodded, tired of himself, of everything.  "You think so?"

"I know so.  Winters isn't desirable to you anymore."

"Maybe you're right, but that doesn't mean I feel anything for Renton.  Winters is just so uninteresting, and all she wants to do is well……..you know, and its boring.  She makes it too easy for me."

"I can see that. When there's no chase it fizzles really fast."

"Like you and Narcissa?"

"Uh, yea.  But see, I was right, wasn't I?"

"Ugh, don't compliment yourself." Sirius sneered.  "You have…..no idea what I'm feeling, Prongs.  You're my best mate, but there are some things you just don't understand."

"Like what?"

"Like pain.  And I'm talking real pain."

"Oh my god." James said, exasperatedly.  "Sirius…….you have got to stop this.  I, and everyone else, have had enough.  I love you, we all love you, but it's like everyone is turning all dreary and pessimistic and we are all falling apart.  I can't take this!"

"Well poor you!" Sirius sarcastically yelled.  "And I am perfectly fine!"

"No, not poor me, poor you!" James spat.  "Say it!"

"Say what?"

"That you love her!"

"Love who? Winters?"

"Renton!"

"I don't love her! I told you!"

"Yes you do!"

"No I don't!"

"Yes….you…….do!"

"Uh, this is so tired.  I don't love her I…..I…….I barely know her…." Sirius sighed.

"What are you talking about, of course you know her." James said, flabbergasted at his denial. "You spend practically every day together.  You're Divination partners, you're on the same team………"

"Well yea….but……."

"But what?"

"Well, you know I……. It's other things…….she looks at me the same way she looks at you, or Remus or Peter.  I'm the clown, the manwhore, as she so affectionately calls me.  Yes, she flirts with me occasionally, but that's just her nature.  She does it with everybody."

"Whoa, hold on, she does NOT flirt with me, or Remus, or Peter for that matter.  She only flirts with YOU. And frankly, I think she likes it." James chuckled.

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Of course it does.  You two, whether you want to admit it or not, have very similar personalities."

"We do not—"

"Lets see here." James said, using his free hand to indicate the measures.  "You both find the same things funny, and she thinks you're a trip……."

Sirius chuckled at this.

"You're both hungry ALL the time.  Why she isn't huge by now I guess we'll never know.  You're both finicky and talk with your hands and when you both get angry, it's like no one can get within fifty feet of the both of you—"

"We're both fanatical.  Nothing wrong with that." 

"And, whether you want to admit it or not, you are the happiest when she's around, even if she's being a total bitch, which is quite often."

"Does this have a point Prongs?" he said, chucking his cigarette out of the open window and slowly closing it. "Because you have obviously missed mine."

"Ok then.  Let's hear it.  What exactly do you want to know about her, aside from what she is like in the sack?"

"You're going to laugh." He warned.

"Humour me then."

"Well, I don't know really.  It's not so much getting to know her.  Actually, when I look at her, I feel like I do know her.  Its like……." He hesitated, and James sat back folding his arms, ready to listen.  

" I know the curves of her hips and how they sway slightly when she walks, and, the way she hits her nails on the table when she's studying, and how when she has her hair back there are always those few wild strands that escape her ponytail and frame her face ever so slightly…….. I know she hates to clean and wake up early."

James laughed slightly at this."……….I know she loves Quidditch and has four cats.  I also know, and this didn't occur to me until recently, that she is only difficult when provoked which is why she hated me for so long.  I know that when she's frustrated she twirls her hair and how she takes her coffee black and smokes approximately five Parliaments a day.  And I know that, when I'm with her, even if it's for a few seconds, that I am the best version of myself, even though I feel insecure.  She makes me laugh and she can be sweet and…..I don't know Prongs.  But as of right now, I look to the future and…..I just…..can't see myself with anyone else." He sighed and waited for James reaction.

James stood there contemplating what Sirius had just said.  He also thought about Lily in comparison.  Did he feel the same way about her? He would think about that later.  It scared him at that moment.

"I told you, you love her." He said, smiling.

Sirius sighed.  "Well, if that's what it is, then I'm not really liking it."

"Ha! You just admitted it."

"I did not!"

"Padfoot my friend……I am sorry to say…….you are totally and completely whipped." He said, and began to laugh out loud.

Sirius nodded and began to laugh along with him.  He was tired of denying it anyway.  It had become too much work. "Yep, I suppose you're right." He said, running a hand through his hair.  "And you know what's funny?"

"What?"

"If it ever came to that, I'd let her in a heartbeat." He laughed.

"Whoa there, too much information." James said.  "With the leather and everything?"

"Hey, just as long as it's not hard to rip off."  

"Oh and by the way…."James started.  "That'll be ten galleons."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"For your little confession right there.  I sat back and listened didn't I? Not to mentioned that I dragged it out of you, you stubborn ass.  And as your psychiatrist it is only reasonable—"

"Psychiatrist my ass.  It is your duty to listen to me.  I listened to you with your Lily problems." Sirius said with mock rudeness.  

"Those weren't problems they were just……slight inconveniences."

"Mm hmm. Whatever you say."

But the conversation abruptly ended when Remus opened the door.  They were slightly surprised, but not noticeably so.

"Do you guys plan on eating at all tonight?" he asked.

"Yea, why?" James said.

"Because it's dinner time, like, right now." He said.  "You guys hungry?"

"Oh yea.  After the day I've had…." Sirius said.

"After the day we've all had." James said.  "Where're the girls?"

"Don't know.  Nic's with Lily.  I think she's in her room."

"Ok." James said.  "Be out in a sec."

Remus nodded and went to meet Peter at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey Padfoot?" James asked.

"Yea?" he answered, going over to the door.  

"How do you think Lily feels about me?"

"What kind of a question is that? And I am not spending an hour talking about _you _now.  I am too hungry for that."

"I don't know.  Sometimes I think, that, well, she might be bored with me, or that, she thinks I'm immature or something.  I don't really see why."

"You are immature." He said, bluntly.

"Gee thanks."

"Oh, what's the matter with you now? You've got the girl, haven't you? Now I know Lily and she's just as smart, maybe smarter than she looks.  You have to treat this one right, Prongs, because if you fuck up, she's not going to be the type to beg for you back."

"I know."

"Good. Now lets eat already, I can feel my stomach doing summersaults." Sirius said.  "Oh and Prongs?" 

"What?" he asked, joining him in the hallway.  

"If you so much as tell Lily a syllable of what I said in there I'll kill you."

"Hey, no need to threaten.  I know your image and I understand it.  Besides she already knows."

"Yes, that's true.  You know she's the one who figured it out?"

"Well, women.  They're like that." He sighed, and shut the door to his dorm.  "I'm going to go check on her, see if she wants to go down."

"Fine.  I'm leaving without you."

"Go ahead." He said, and then he paused.  "Hey you know what?"

"What?" Sirius answered, still walking.

"I think I know something that might cheer us up, you know, get our minds off of this women business.  We haven't been pranking in a while." He sneered. 

Sirius stopped.  "Lets hear it." he said, slightly amused.

"Well, I don't have a plan or anything.  I just think we need to pay an old friend a little visit this week is all."

"Who?" Sirius asked, but when he thought for less then ten seconds he knew.  "Snivellus." He said with a smirk.

"Exactly.  See you down there." James said, and he slowly made his way to the other staircase, ascending the steps slowly and half-heartily.  He rounded her hallway and found her door to be shut.  He knocked carefully.

"What?" she answered rudely.  He tried the door to find it was open, but he hesitated in opening it all the way.  "Are you going to come in or not?" she spat.

He opened the door and her mood remained the same, but a smile twitched across her lips as he entered.  

"Sorry Lily I just thought—"

"No I thought you were Remus again.  He came knocking like fifty times when Nic and me were in here.  He just annoyed me, that's all." James said nothing, a little unsure what to do.  She, confused, started the conversation. " So what's up?"  She asked, hugging her knees to her chest in a manner he found incredibly adorable.

"Nothing.  Dinner's downstairs and I just wondered if—"

"Yes I know.  I'm not really hungry if that's all right." She said with a sigh.

"Not hungry? Why not?" he said, taking a place next to her on the bed, she moved over slightly to give him more room.

She shrugged.  "I just don't want to go down.  I want to stay here."

"Do you want me to stay too?" he asked.  "You know, keep you company.  We could, get some work done." He said, saying the first idea that came to his head, knowing it wasn't a good one.

"Work? James, it's Saturday, and since when do you ever want to do homework?"

"I do homework.  And I want to be with you so—" he stopped himself.  Not too much honesty, yet, he thought.

"Aw, that's sweet.  It's ok James.  You can go.  You are not obligated to stay here.  I thought I might get some reading done, you know, be alone."

"Oh….." he said, getting up from his place.  "I get it.  Tired of me already?"  

"Huh? What are you talking about?  Its not you, you silly boy.  And I'm tired, we did a lot of walking and—"

"Alright." He said.  "Do you want me to bring you back some food?"

"Food would be great." 

"Ok." He said.  "Oh, and Lily?" he said, the door ajar.

She just looked up.  "Yes?"

"I—uh……" he shook his head.  "Never mind."

"You sure?"

"Yea, its stupid.  See you later."

"Alright." She said with a smile.  He returned it sheepishly and the next second her door was closed again.

The next instant Lily threw herself down on her bed and let out a deep sigh of provocation.  James is acting awfully strange today, she thought.  He's almost…. serious.  She didn't mind all that much and it was a nice alteration from the self-centred boyfriend she had been dating.  This morning he wasn't serious, with his stupid comment about getting a room.  He is so adolescent, she thought.  After all this time she sort of forgot why they and started dating in the first place.  Then she remembered.  He had been so sweet, and caring, and sympathetic… she had never seen that side, but, come to think of it, she never saw it again after that, until right now……

Well, sure he had been sweet lately and made it very clear to her that he cared for her, to some extent.  And he _did_ invite her and Diana to stay for the break.  That was nice, she thought.  But there was that little voice in the back of Lily's had that told her he was just using to fulfil some desire of his own.  _Conquering Evans would be a triumph….  _She could picture him saying that, and it scared her.

When Lily realized that these thoughts were not going to make her feel any better she decided to surreptitiously change the subject.  The problem was, she didn't know what to change it to.  So, she went on her original intent and began looking for a book.  She had finished Gone With the Wind a while ago.  She was a fast reader, even if the book was 1024 pages.

She searched under her bed, which was where she kept most of her things, and began groping around until her hands rested on an object she didn't expect.  She leaned her head over to get a better look and when she grabbed it she silently chuckled.  It was a wrapped package, a present, and it was for Diana.  They never did exchange Christmas presents.  They had spent the whole day in their rooms, well, at least Lily had.  She tossed the package aside, without much thought, and not wanting to think of Diana much anyway.  She was incredibly angry with her for being so malicious and purposely ruining their friendship…for a _guy_….

Instantaneously the door opened, without Lily having time to protest the intruder.  When she saw whom it was she held back, and grabbed the nearest book on the floor and began reading it.

Diana noticed Lily's attempts to ignore her and she didn't blame her.  In fact, she was more than willing to participate in this game of indifference.  She closed the door slowly and chucked her shopping bag down on her bed, before silently removing her shoes.  The day had been a strange one for Diana and after about ten soundless minutes she couldn't quite take it anymore. She needed to have a real conversation, one with substance.

"Hi Lily." She said, in almost an undertone, and without a shred of sincerity.  Lily didn't answer.  She preferred it this way.  Diana was about to speak again when Lily closed her book loudly and tossed it on the windowsill.  Then she looked at Diana, who had by this time, cleared her throat vociferously.

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I being acknowledged?" Lily asked.

"Ugh, don't do that I hate it when you do that." Diana spat.

"What?"

"That witty sarcasm thing you're doing.  Stop it, I have the hugest headache right now."

"Oh really, and why is that?"  

"None of your goddamn business.  I just don't want to talk about it ok."

"Fine with me.  You brought it up." Lily said.

"I'm just trying to explain—"

"I don't care." Lily said, unsympathetically. 

"Well thanks a lot."

"Diana……" Lily started.  "Do you _really_ want to pick a fight with me right now? Because I am more than willing to if it'll shut you the hell up."

"Well you're being really bloody rude.  What's up your ass?" she asked.

"My ass? I think yours is the one in question, don't you think?  Tell me, what exactly did Malfoy shove up there to make you such a heartless bitch?"

"I'm heartless?"

"Yes, you're heartless.  You were the one ignoring us all day to be with your little posse."

"Well you were the one who started it, taking Potter's side with _everything_."

"I took no one's side!" Lily screamed.

"Yes you did!  You let him; you actually _let_ him talk to me like that!"

"I didn't!" Lily yelled pointing a finger at her.  "You were _both_ acting like children!"

"He kicked me off the team!"

"Well rightfully so!"

"What?!"

"You're always late! And for the record, I defended you!"

"Well you did a really shitty job showing me that!"

"Well how could I? You stormed out of the room for heavens sake!"

"Well I'm sorry if I wasn't go to stick around while he insulted my dead father!…………" she paused, and her eyes started to tear, but she wouldn't let herself cry.  She convinced herself that tears never got anyone anywhere.  So instead she took a deep breath and forgot what she had said.  

Lily noticed this and tried to force herself to calm down.  She knew deep down that Diana was not as strong as she thought herself to be.  Suddenly, fighting didn't seem quite worth it anymore.  Diana sat down on her bed and crossed her legs, looking in the other direction, while Lily got up and grabbed the book again.  Silence.

When Diana was boring herself, having nothing to do, she got up and went to Lily's side of the room.  She noticed the snow out the window.  She didn't remember when it had started, but it calmed her in some mysterious way.  She began to slowly pace and walk around, indifferent to her other surroundings, but was oddly reminded of something she considered to be humorous when she glanced at her shopping bag.  Then she shook her head, remembered she was angry, and resumed her pacing.  

Lily's dresser was piled with books and scattered clothes.  Diana lifted up each item, and when it was not what she wanted, she threw it on the floor.

"What are you _doing_?" Lily asked, obviously aggravated.  She had been watching her the whole time.

"Where is it?" she asked, not looking at Lily, her attitude still prominent.

"Where's what?" Lily asked, and returned her eyes to her book.

"Pride and Prejudice, what did you do with it?"  She asked, turning around and putting her hands on her hips.

"It's up there." She replied.

"Well obviously it's not, Lily." She said.

"It's your book, Diana.  I don't know where the hell it is.  Now please stop talking, I am trying to read."

For the first time Diana actually caught the title of the book Lily was reading.  All she saw was the binding and the name _Austin_ and she snorted loudly, then walked over to Lily and pulled the book out of her hands.

"Hey!" Lily shouted.

Diana turned the cover around so Lily could see it.  Lily, who had not been paying attention to the book anyway, let alone its title, simply shrugged.  

"Sorry." Lily mumbled, feeling slightly embarrassed, but not enough to care.

Diana strolled back over to her bed and opened the book, trying to concentrate on it.  It wasn't working too well because Lily, who now had nothing to read of her own, began to stare at her.

"What?!" Diana angrily asked.  

Lily shrugged.  "Nothing."

"Well then stop that." She spat, turning the page loudly, almost ripping it out of the book.

Lily continued to watch, noticing that Diana's eyes were skimming the same line over and over again.  She wasn't reading either.  Lily calmed down some more, not mad at all now, but she did feel oddly worried.

"Black went after you this morning." She said, knowing it had nothing to do with anything.

"Huh?" Diana said, her eyes perking up.  "Did he?"  Diana had found it funny that her thoughts lingered on him more than usual that afternoon, and again a couple of minutes before Lily had spoke.  

"Mm hmm."

"What for?" she asked, closing the book and tossing it aside.

"Don't know.  To see how you were I expect."

"Well it's really none of his business." She said, reclining on her bed.

"Why not? He's your friend."

"He is not my friend." She said quickly.

"Well, you too seem to be very _friendly_."

"I have no idea what you are trying to imply, Lily, but please, don't imply it." she said, looking around, as if she were afraid someone would hear her.

"Imply what? I was merely saying—"

"Just stop Lily, ok? I don't want to talk about this, least of all about Black."

"Why not?" Lily asked.  "What the hell else are we going to talk about?"

"I don't know, think of a topic."

"You think of a topic, since you are so keen on changing it."

"Ok then.  How about…….um……..well, you park in a Driveway and drive on a Parkway, and how that doesn't make any sense.  There. Discuss."

"I don't have any thoughts on that." Lily said, smiling at the triviality of the comment.

"Alright.  Well, how about the fact that no one has ever seen a fat squirrel, or whether or not Hawaii has an interstate highway."

"Hawaii _does_ have an interstate highway." She said.

"Oh does it? An interstate highway connects two or more states, yes? Well, if Hawaii is an island, how can a highway connect it?  It isn't connected to anything."

"Do you think about things like this?" Lily mused.

"Doesn't everyone?"

"You have way too much free time."

"So it would seem." She said, offhand, staring at the ceiling.  

"So?" Lily asked.  "Is the bug up your ass dead yet?"

"Huh? What the hell does that mean?" Diana asked, slightly annoyed by what she was inferring.

"The bug up your ass. The one that has made me hate you for the past twelve hours."

"Oh that one." She said, and paused.  "No, not quite, still there."

"Damn.  Well, you know what this means now don't you?" she asked.

"Enlighten me."

"We are going to have to smoke a lot of pot……"

"We don't smoke pot, Lily." She said, turning over and burying her face in her pillow.

"I know that, but I think we are going to have to start."

"And why is that?" she asked, stretching.

"To kill it, the bug.  It's the only way, I see that now."

"Ok then.  I'll ask Black later."

"You do that." Lily said.  "So……..what did you do today?"

"Went to Hogsmeade, just like you." Diana said, turning over to face Lily.

"No, not just like me.  You weren't at breakfast, and when I did see you, you were with that Bellatrix Black person.  Where did you find her?"

"Library.  She wanted to know, why, I was, um, upset."

"You were crying in the Library.  How depressing."

Diana glared at her.  "Yea, just a little."

"Listen, I tried and Black tried to run after you. Its not our fault you're like a mongoose."

"It doesn't matter." She paused.  "Listen Lily, I'm uh, really sorry for this afternoon, and the past month and everything.  I don't like this either."

"Don't like what?"

"Me.  And I see it more and more too.  I'm not myself and it sort of scares me, if you know what I mean.  It's weird.  Sometimes, its like, I want to get away."

"Form what?"

"All of it. Of this, my life, this school.  I hate it here."

"Since when?"

"Since Christmas."

"Is it your Mum and Dad? Is that it?"

"Part of it, yeah.  I'm just really confused, you know."

"Not really. What about?"

"Nothing. Forget it Lily.  It doesn't matter.  None of it matters anymore."

"Yes it does." Lily said.

"What would you know? You've got Potter, and he adores you, so it seems.  It must be nice."

"Lucius doesn't adore you?"

Diana shrugged.  "He's all I've got Lil."

"That's not true.  We're young.  There are other prospects—"

"No!" she said, actually yelling.  She jumped up from her bed.  "Lily," she took a deep breath.  "You don't understand.  And I hope, because I really do love you, that you never do."

"Are you a Death Eater, Diana?" Lily blurted out.  At this Diana's eyes became wide and she started to laugh.

"What?" oh goodness no!" she giggled, putting her hands over her mouth.  "Where on earth did you get that idea?"

Lily released a deep breath that seemed to be hiding in her throat the entire afternoon.  "You mean—you're not?" Lily asked, flabbergasted.

"Well don't sound so disappointed." Diana joked, wiping her eyes, and still laughing.

"No, just relieved."

"Well I guess I should be happy you care so much then."  She said.

"Well can you blame me? Jesus Diana, don't mock me."

"Ok, I wont." She laughed.  

"Aren't you hungry?" Lily asked, noticing Diana's diminishing figure.  Diana stopped laughing at this sudden switch in topic.

She sniffed. "No." she said simply.  "I ate."

"When?" she asked curiously.

"Before." She said, and from her tone, Lily knew that that was the only answer she was going to receive.  "I'm going downstairs."

"What for? Haven't you spent enough time away from us today?"

"I want to do work, Lily, is that a crime? I'm only going down the stairs."

"Oh….I thought you meant—"

"I know what you meant, and I'm only going downstairs." She repeated, slightly opening the door.

"Alright." Lily replied.  "Hold on, since when do you want to do work?" she asked quizzically.

Diana stopped.  "Since I started failing DADA. That's not a good sign Lily, so I've got to hit the books."

"There will be food up here when you get back." Lily said

"Yes, yes." She replied, lazily closing the door, and the eagerness in her step lessening with every second.  She practically plopped down the stairs, and forced herself at a table in the common room.  I have to work, she told herself, hoping it would motivate her.  Instead, she walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out a book.

She skimmed the pages and found nothing of interest.  She had to write a paper.  She had to think hard about what it was, not really attending class much and not paying attention when she did.  Then she remembered.  It wasn't that difficult.  _Unforgivable Curses: Why are they Unforgivable? Who uses them? What is the punishment when one is caught doing one?  What are the effects of each one? Explain one historic instance in which at least two had been used._  It had to be at least three sheets of parchment long.

She had been working over three hours, reading what she could, remembering most of them from fourth year, but this one had to be in context.  She had also become distracted a couple of times when she found old books on ancient magic carelessly discarded on tables and in the walls.  She saw James passed by, and acknowledged him even though he had given her a look of resentment, which she returned.  He remembered how he infuriated her, but he, under no means, provoked anything at that late hour.

Remus and Nicole cam back some time after, chatting, more like whispering to each other, and each gave Diana a polite nod and a smile before retiring to their separate rooms.  _They're cute together_, a voice in Diana's head told her.  _I wonder why they don't just do it already. _She dismissed the thought quickly when Lily came to join her for a while.  

She had asked if Diana had gotten any work done, and when she replied "a little," Lily left her alone.  She noticed she wasn't with James and when she asked why, Lily just shrugged, saying she didn't really mind much anyway.

"Why not?" Diana asked.

"Don't know really. I don't see a future, that's all.  He's cute but—"

"So no more infatuation?" Diana asked.

"Don't know.  He's got to give me a reason, don't you think?"

"I think nothing of Potter, and I am leaving it at that."

"Well I think less than nothing of Malfoy, and it is too late, so I leave it at that." She said, slightly offended, but not by much.

"Are you coming up?" Lily asked, when it was way past midnight and it was clear to both of them that the day was over.  Diana shook her head no, saying she needed to finish her work.  

"Is it still snowing?" Diana asked, starting her quill on the parchment again.

"Yes.  You can barely see outside now. Its pretty, especially at night." Lily said, halfway up the stairs.

"Wonderful." Diana responded half kidding, and half trying to hide her enthusiasm.  Not that it mattered.  They would still have classes, blizzard or not.

She almost fell asleep over her parchment when she heard the door to the common room open again, and the loud creaking made her head spin.  It must have been after two.  When the door closed fully she caught who the person was, and gave a half smile, not forgetting what Bellatrix had told her only a few hours ago.

_The way he treats his poor mother and brother…..ungrateful maggot— _he had never told her he had a brother, not that it mattered, or even came up.

_Do you see my cousin over there? He is so jealous of you he cant even stand it……being embraced by the same people who want nothing to do with him. Its sad really…….._Diana didn't know what this meant. And she chose not to dwell on it.  She tried to change her look of sudden distrust and careful consideration to one of indifference and casualness.

He just gave a nod, not really surprised to see her. In fact, he sort of wished it, privately, but without enthusiasm.  He tried to walk right past her, but slow enough so they could make eye contact.

"No hello?" she said to him, putting her quill down.  He stopped to face her, not knowing whether her attitude was of annoyance or the fact that she wanted to badger him and keep him from sleep.

"Hello." He said, and nodded, putting his hands behind his back and intertwining his fingers.  She looked at the clock, obviously, pretending she was about to scold him. 

"It's late Black." She said, in a mock-upset voice.

"I know.  Are you the one keeping tabs tonight?" he asked.

"Yes, you have to sign in over there now when you walk in."

"So you're the new concierge?" he asked. 

"Precisely." She said, chuckling.  "So, what was your business outside of our fun-filled common room this evening?" she asked, shuffling her papers around

"I was out Renton.  That is all you need know." He replied in a monotone voice.  

"Why don't you sit with me for a minute.  I haven't seen you all day." Diana entreated.

"You have."

"I have? Oh, that's right, this afternoon….." she trailed off.  "Well, sit anyway, unless you're afraid I might hex you."

"Well is that a possibility?" he asked.  "Because in that case it would be a yes."

"Do you see my wand anywhere? Sit, Black.  I am bored. Entertain me."

He chuckled, but unfolded his hands and pulled out a chair, straddling it backwards.  She, in turn, pulled hers out so they were facing each other, her homework now forgotten.

"I don't have any talents, Renton." He said.  

"I didn't mean that. I know that any skill you do possess requires my legs to be spread open, and frankly, I like them crossed. No, I was just bored and tired. If I write one more word I think I'll jump off the roof of this building."

"Well, good luck finding it.  It's a blizzard out there."

"So Lily tells me."

"Oh, so you two are talking?"

"Yes.  Lily and me have the tendency to have very short, but very heated arguments.  And I'm still mad at her, at all of you actually, for, well, there is no need for recreations." She said, waving her hand to dismiss her grief.

"Hey, I did nothing to you." Sirius said, in the midst of a yawn.

"That's true.  But I don't want to talk about this, alright."

He nodded.  "What do you want to talk about then?" he asked, looking at his watch, suggesting a 'make it quick' attitude.  In reality, he would have sat there all night with her.  Forget time, he thought, and sleep.

She shrugged, and then smiled.  "So…..I take it out were with Winters today, and tonight, yes?"

"Yes." He said.

"So, why are you here then? Why didn't you stay? Did she get a little saddle sore up on that white horse of yours?" she said, laughing at herself.  "Couldn't take you, could she?"

He started to laugh too.  "It would appear that way, wouldn't it? No, I didn't see her tonight. I had enough of her during the day."

"Well that's not very nice." She said, her smile souring.  "You shouldn't talk about girls with such coldness."

"I am not being cold."

"Yes you are.  Saying that you had had enough is like saying she's not worth your time, which is a mean thing to even think—"

"Now hold on, you are taking this a lot more seriously then you ought to." He said.

"No I really don't think I am.  You and your cocky manner and pureblood ideals, taking women for granted like they are pieces of property to be played with and discarded when not in use and practically crushing their hearts with your comments and—"

"Renton!" he said, louder then she should have, because she jumped back slightly.  She paused and said nothing else, and he thought he saw pain flicker in her eyes for a second.  He ran over what she had said, and stopped on something of interest.  "Pureblood ideals?" he questioned.

She shrugged.  "Well you are one, aren't you?"

"So." He said, seemingly offended.  "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It has a lot to do with it.  You are all the same.  You want sex and power and dominance and—"

"Whoa there, slow down." He said.  "Where the hell did you get that idea?"

"What do you mean, 'where did I get it'? You've been that way for years."

"I resent that." He said hotly.

"Well it's true. _Toujours pur_, honestly. Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Where have you seen that?" he asked, getting up from his chair.

"I haven't seen anything, but I know it's what you feel. If Bellatrix—"

"I am _nothing_ like Bellatrix!" he yelled, startling her.  "Ugh, who are you Renton, to suddenly be an expert on Pureblood ideals? You don't know what you are talking about."

"Oo, have I struck a nerve?" she laughed.  He threw his chair under the table.  "The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

"You know _nothing_ of the truth." He sneered.

"Don't I?" she yelled back.

"I don't like this Renton."

"Don't like what?"

" I don't like _you_."

"Well that's just lovely, Black.  Am I supposed to be hurt by that?" she called, after he was halfway up the stairs.

"You are vile!" he yelled.

"Well I _know_ that!" she screeched.

"Goodnight you Psycho!"

Goodnight….you…..you….. _Bâtard_!" 

He stopped.  "What?" he crossed his arms and looked at her from the top of the stairs.

"You heard me—And I, couldn't think of anything else."

"And I understood it." he said, smugly. "_Chienne_."

"Ugh, you are so impossible!  Get---get----!" she tried, fiercely.

"I think you're thinking _Allez vous-en? Saprisi!"_ he said.

"Precisely!"

He was angry with her now, provoking him so, while enticing him beyond his desires.  "Gladly."

_" Haineux de femme!"_ she called after him.

_"Prostituée"_ he called back, playing her little game.

"Ugh, you are so fucking annoying!" she screamed.  _"Je vous déteste!"_

"I hate you too!" he yelled back, and thought he meant it, slamming the door and almost breaking it off its hinges.

James was awake already, over the covers and listening to the entire conversation.  "Sounded good." He laughed.  "She seems very, how do you say, _fâché_?"

"Shut up."  He said.  _"Merde."_

(Next chapter will be happier, I think. Oh well :) don't leave me yet ok? And sorry for the wait, but I was in Boston for a while, and working, you know, but thanks guys, love ya!)

Oh yea, sorry about the random French, but I was bored and felt like it :) here I'll tell you what it means: 

_" Haineux de femme!"_~ Woman hater

_"Prostituée"_~ whore (or prostitute)

_                        "Je vous déteste!"_~ I hate you!

_"fâché_"_~ angry_

                        "_Chienne_."~ Bitch (loosely)

_Toujours pur_~ Always Pure

_Allez vous-en!Saprisi! ~ G_o away, for god's sake!

_Merde ~_Shit

_Bâtard_! ~ Bastard (yea, I'm sure she could have thought of something worse, and in English, but, like I said, boredom)


	19. Day before Spring Break

Disclaimer: see previous chapters. SORRY SORRY SORRY for the really really long wait…..love you all though, and I'm almost at 300….wow! Oh, and kudos to Tay for getting the Linda Richmond thing, however vague. It was in my head at the time, yes, and was so surprised someone got it :):)

~~~~~~*~*~*~*~*~~~~~~~~~~~~*~*~~*~*~*~~~~~~~~~~April 14th……..

_"AAAANNNDDD WELCOME, TO THE THIRD QUIDDITCH MATCH OF THE SEASON………GRYFFINDOR VERSUS RAVENCLAW!!!!!"_ Thaddeus Jordan boomed, causing a giant uproar among the zealous crowd.

The sound was muffled, but explicable from the changing rooms, where the Gryffindor House team awaited the announcement of the players, with five minutes to go until the Quaffle was actually released.  They changed in silence, feeling nervous and excited.  It had seemed ages since they had played their last game, over six months ago.

James was stretching and concentrating on breathing, cracking his neck and examining his broom, while carelessly throwing his red and gold robes over his head.

"Lily, crack my back." Diana said, tying her hair back because it was a windy April day.  Lily did so without a word, and twisted it in such a way that she yelped in pain, immediately followed by a sigh of comfort.  "Thanks, babe." She said.

"No problem." Lily answered.

"Where's my broom?" Sirius asked, searching everywhere.  "I just had it—"

"Don't tell me you've lost it. I have no sympathy for you." James said, stretching one arm over his head.

"You left it here." Frank answered, pointing to the left of his changing space.  

"How'd it get there?" Sirius asked.

"It's been there since yesterday." Lily answered.  "Since practice." She clarified, when he gave her an uninterested, not-understanding look.

"Right." He answered, and started scooping it out for nicks or damages.

"Evans, Spinnet, come here for a second." James commanded, emotionlessly.  They shuffled forward, both of them crossing their arms at being addressed like cattle.  "You both know what you're doing?" he asked, looking at a piece of parchment that seemed to be outlining all of the plays.

"Yes." They both answered grimly.

"Explain." He ordered, cracking his knuckles.

"Parkin's, Porskoff, Reverse, Hawkshead, Shimmy……" Spinnet started.

"Then whatever the fuck else we can come up with." Lily finished.

"Excellent. Kat!"

"What?" she answered, brushing her hair.

"What's your plan?" James asked.

"Don't even try until over 50." She replied.  It had been clear to everyone that James would not shut up about the game for weeks. True, he needed to distract himself, and Quidditch was the easiest way, but no one appreciated his Captain's techniques.

"Frank?"

"Even if it's a girl, beat the crap out of anyone who gets in my way." He said, although not agreeing at all to it.

"Fine. Padf—"

"Don't even try it." Sirius said, silencing him, still examining his broom.

"Fine." He said, dismissing him.  "Ok……now I know we haven't played in forever, but you know the drill.  If we win it'll put us second in line, since we've only played once.  Now, Ravenclaw won the last against Hufflepuff, which excludes Hufflepuff completely since they lost to Slytherin in January.  Ravenclaw also lost to Slytherin, which puts them on the same level as us, since our game with Hufflepuff is undecided, but lets be reasonable, we'd win.  We already beat Slytherin which means……" he sighed and paused. "That whether we win today determines whether Slytherin wins the Cup or not, which can't happen. Got it?"

"Yep." They answered at odd times.

"Don't be lazy." He said.

"Uh huh." They answered, not even listening anymore.

"Keep your eyes open." No response.

"Smile." He joked, hoping they'd noticed.  They just glared.

"Ok, now seriously, are you guys ready?" he said, rubbing his hands together.

"Potter?" Katrina asked.

"Yes?"

"I think I speak for all of us when I say, shut up, we've got it." she said, bluntly.

"Right." He said, smiling.  "But lets kick Ravenclaw good and hard—"

_"AND NOOOWWWW THE RAVENCLAW PLAYERS…….., **BEATERS:** KATHERINE BELLANDO AND ANTHONY PEREZ……." _Jordan announced.

"Shit! They're announcing the players." Sirius said.

"Damn it." James muttered.  "But we're ready.  We just have to get on the pitch, like now."

"Listen, whatever happens, lets just do our best, alright?" Lily said, looking at the entire team.  They nodded, agreeing with her. 

**_"_**_ **CHASERS:** JOSEPH MATTHEWS, REBECCA WINTERS, TRACY RODRIGUEZ………."_

 "Now hands in." she said.

"Hands in?" Frank asked.

"Muggles do it, it's like a team coming together thing, to liven us up." She explained.

"Ok then, works for me." Sirius said.  "Now what do we do?"

"Hurry this up." Kat said, looking at her watch.

"Just stick your hand out." Diana said, doing the movement.

"Then?" Sirius asked.

_"**SEEKER:** MIRANDA SHAW……."_

"We put our hands on top of each other, like this." Diana said, yanking his hand.  They all shrugged and joined in.

"Now what?" James chuckled, because most of them looked around stupidly.

"Now we say something cool like, Gryffindor kicks ass." Lily said. "And throw your hands back up in the air."

"Ok then. There is no point to this." James said.

"Yea I just realized. The fun dies when one is forced to explain it." Lily said.

**_"CAPTAIN AND KEEPER:_**_ ROJER DAVIES…….."_

"One….." Diana started, cutting her off.

"Two….three…." Lily said.

"GRYFFINDOR KICKS ASS!" they yelled.

"Wooooooo!!!" Kat cheered and clapped her hands.

_"NOWWWWWW, THE GRYFFINDOR PLAYERS………….."_

"Let's go." James said as they all walked out onto the pitch.

_"**BEATERS:**  SIRIUS BLACK AND FRANK LONGBOTTOM……….."_

"Potter?" Diana whispered, stopping him.

"What?" he answered, slowing his step.

"Thanks." She sighed.

"For what?" he answered, not listening.

"For letting me play." She said, through clenched teeth.  That morning Lily had to remind her. It was only respectful, she said.

"Oh…." He paused.  "Well, you know, there were no replacements." He said, trying to sound uncaring.

"Still." She said, forced.  "I appreciate it."

"That means a lot, especially coming from you." He said, and when he realized it, tried to save himself.  "And Lily was right, you are the best we've got." He said, giving her a somewhat sincere smile.  She smiled back, and punched him on the shoulder, not quite playfully.  She walked ahead and started taking to Andrew Spinnet.  "But if it were up to me…."

"James, don't spoil it.  That was nice." Lily said to James, hooking her arm with his.

"Yes, I knew you'd like that." He said.

"You might get to thank the Academy on that one." She said.  "Diana too. Excellent performances."

"The Academy?"

"Of arts and sciences…..never mind." She said, shaking her head. He would know nothing of the Oscars, and trying to explain them would be an impossible task, so she avoided it.

"I still can't stand her."

"Deal with it.  She's only human."

"Barely." He said, and Lily chuckled.   "So……do I get a good luck kiss?" he asked.

"You don't need luck." She answered.

"Everyone needs luck." He said.

_"**CHASERS:** LILY EVANS, ANDREW SPINNET, AND CAPTAIN JAMES POTTER!"_ Jordan announced and the crowd roared even louder.  

"Oh, alright." Lily said, and jumped up and kissed him quickly on the mouth, before flying up with Andrew, closely followed by James.

_"**SEEKER:** KATRINA MILES AND **KEEPER**: DIANA RENTON………."_

"Good luck Kat." Diana said.

"You too." She answered.__

Once everyone was in his or her positions, Madame Hooch approached the field and made James and Rojer Davies shake hands, which neither of them minded, but did not exactly welcome.

"On the sound of my whistle…..three…….two….one!"

Quicker than anything James and Rojer raced up into the air, their fellow teammates close behind.  This game was less ruthless than the one they had played with the Slytherins, and their strategies were different, along with their flying style.  Jordan started with the commentary strait away.

"And the Quaffle is released—Ravenclaw in possession—Tracey Rodriguez has got it—and she passes it quickly to Chaser Rebecca Winters—she speeds towards the Gryffindor goal posts—Renton can take this—OO YES! Blocked by Renton, great job Diana!"

The Ravenclaws moaned, and James gave Diana a pleased nod of approval.  She shrugged, as if it was no big deal. 

"Gryffindor now in possession—Lily Evans has the Quaffle—she is speeding fast, joining with Chasers Andrew Spinnet and James Potter on either side of her—she passes the Quaffle to Spinnet—Oh! Rodriguez rams him hard—that had to hurt mate, she came out of nowhere—Ravenclaw now in possession—Spinnet is chasing her and, yes! Cuts her off—but not before she passes it to Matthews—Matthews heads left, dodging Spinnet but—yes! Evans distracts him, well how could she not, redheads are distracting—"

"Jordan." Mcgonagal scolded lazily, her arms folded.

"It was just an observation Professor—Evans has the Quaffle—she's zipping out of the way—closer, closer—Potter's close to her now, guarding her it seems—ooo look out Evans! Yeah! Brilliant Bludger work by Sirius Black—that was close—Matthews on Evans tail, he's speeding up, Potter's lagging behind—Ouch! —Potter seems to be sandwiched now by Winters and Matthews—Lily's still got it—faster, faster—No! Damn it!"

"Jordan! Language!"

_"Sorry Professor—Saved by Davies—Ravenclaw now in possession…."_ He muttered, lazily.  _"Rodriguez has it again—Spinnet on her tail, again—OOOOO Damn Spinnet! He gets hit hard by a Bludger! Didn't see it coming—maybe because he was goggling at her—"_

"Keep your eyes on the Quaffle Spinnet!" James yelled.  Spinnet started spinning on his broom and became dizzy.  James had no compassion for him.

"Rodriguez is speeding passed them, and she's getting close-Come on Gryffindor! —Yes! Frank Longbottom exercising superb Beater techniques, and, uh, looking incredibly apologetic—but now Gryffindor in possession—Potter has the Quaffle—he passes it to Evans—all three are speeding towards Davies—Oo that was close Potter! —Potter almost gets rammed by Winters—but he's back—he's going—back to Evans' side, Spinnet is close behind them—they seem to be, wait what? —YESSSSSS!!!! —TEN-ZERO GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor side cheered with excitement and waved their red and gold flags into the air, congratulating them.  James slapped Lily's hand and Spinnet cheered her on.

"Nice one Lily!" Kat yelled from about twenty feet away.  She was looking for the Snitch, but wouldn't go near it until they were over fifty, like James had told her.

About a half an hour into the game forty more points were scored: 10 by Gryffindor and 30 by Ravenclaw, which angered James and the rest of the fans.  Now Gryffindor was down by ten points.  Everyone was growing a bit tired, and Lily felt sweat form under her arms and on her brow.  She was not alone.  Kat had almost fallen asleep, and now she had to wait even longer to catch the Snitch.  The Ravenclaw seeker, Miranda Shaw, seemed to have similar instructions, but was more awake than Kat.  Diana was growing frustrated by the fact that she had let three goals past her.  That had never happened before.  Her coordination seemed to be down.

_"Ravenclaw's got the Quaffle, yet again (damn it) *ahem, but, uh, Gryffindor hasn't given up yet (let's hope), Potter is flying like, uh, the wind I guess towards Matthews and, ugh! He dodges him! —He's going, going—No! How did that happen?!—40 to 10 Ravenclaw……"_ he muttered into the microphone.

"RENTON!" James bellowed, so loud that Lily figured the whole stadium heard.

"I'M DOING THE BEST I CAN!" she shot back.

"IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH! GET IT TOGETHER!"

"I WILL IF YOU STOP YELLING AT ME!"

"TIME!" James called.  He flew over to Diana's post while the rest of the team exhaustedly followed.  They settled behind him, hoping his rage would not suddenly avert to any of them.  He motions Matthews towards him and silently asked for the Quaffle.  Matthews looked at his Captain, who nodded, knowing James was about to use it to teach his team.  Matthews threw James the Quaffle, who caught it effortlessly.  

"Renton?" he said, condescendingly.  

"Yes, Potter." She sneered through clenched teeth.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked, looking at the Quaffle.

"It's a Quaffle." She said.

"And what am I doing with it?" he said, passing it quickly between his hands.

"I don't know, making an ass out of yourself?" she said.

"The point, Renton, is that never, at any time, should your eyes be off this ball here.  Do you understand?"

"Yes Potter I do."

"Good. Now I'm curious as to why you aren't doing that.  It's not very difficult, and your seeing ability seems to be in tact so—

"Prongs, stop it." Sirius said.  "Even _I _have a headache."

"Do _you_ want to reason with her?  Because, by all means, if you can get her broom out of her ass and onto the pitch, then go ahead."

"James!" Lily shouted, her arms crossed in antagonism.  "Enough!"

"But—"

"Apologize." Lily said.

James sighed.  "Sorry Renton, but can you please, _please_, try to get it together out there.  We need this, ok? I don't want to be a bitch, but you are not exactly making my life easier out there.  You want to win, don't you?"

"Yeah." She said.  "But yelling at me isn't going to solve anything."

"I said I was sorry."

"Mm Hmm.  Just leave it to me.  I'll fix it, ok?  We'll get it back."

"Thank you." James answered.  "Alright, let's get back out there.  And Spinnet, try to focus a little more.  I know Rodriguez is a piece of ass, but we're in the middle of a game here."

Spinnet blushed and the game started up again.  Gryffindor went on to score thirty more points in the next ten minutes, tying them with Ravenclaw.  The game was growing longer than any of the players would have liked, and after another twenty minutes without anyone scoring, even James wanted it to end as quickly as possible.  He motioned to Kat in a way that said, _never mind the plan, just catch the goddamn snitch_.  At least that was the message she got.

Without drawing too much attention to herself she scanned the pitch for the little tiny object.  While she was looking Lily managed to score another goal, which put Gryffindor to fifty and in the lead.  Then she saw it.  The little, tiny, golden snitch, all the way on the other side of the field, close to Shaw.  Damn it, she thought, but Shaw didn't seem to see it at all.

"Gryffindor in the lead now, 50-40 and—there's Miles speeding towards Shaw—she sees the Snitch!—she's going—Oo, Shaw smacks right into her—that much hurt like a—uh, anyway, she's going, faster, come on Kat, come on—go-Go-GO-GO! YESSSSSSS WOO HOOO GRYFFINDOR WINS!!! 200 TO 30!!!!"

Lily looked over to James to find him very relieved indeed.  He flew over to Kat and hugged her, and the entire team joined in.  The Ravenclaws accepted their defeat with sportsmanship, and shook hands with the Gryffindors before heading to the changing rooms.  

Sweating and relieved the House team hit the showers, so to speak.  James was definitely pleased, which was a very good thing in the eyes of his team.  

"Party in the Common Room!" he cheered as he entered.  Lily laughed at him.  "We won, we won…" he chanted under his breath.  "I have the best team.  You all sucked today, but you're still the best."

"Was that a compliment? Because I didn't catch it." Spinnet whispered to Kat.

"Thanks four eyes." Kat said to James, smirking.

"Your welcome fat ass." He answered smiling.

"I like it thank you." She said.

"Didn't say it was bad." James said, throwing off his robes.

"Do you wear those everywhere, the glasses I mean? How come they don't fall off when you're in the air? Do you sleep with them Jimmy—"

"Kat, leave him alone." Lily said.  "Besides, Potter likes his glasses.  Without them, he wouldn't be able to do that dramatic removal to make people think he's thinking really hard."

"Hmmm." James said, mimicking what Lily had just said.  "By God…..this….tastes like wax, to be honest." He said, taking his glasses out of his mouth.

"Let's get out of here." Sirius said.  "We haven't had a party all year, come to think of it." he said, getting back to topic.

"Ugh, a party." Diana said.  "Thank god!" she cheered, clasping her hands together and looking at the ceiling.  "Wait, do we have any previsions?"

"Relax Renton.  There's enough coke and sex to go around." Sirius said casually.  

"Oh I'm not worried about the supply." She said, smiling at him.  "Will you be providing both?"

"Do you want both?" he said, flirtatiously.

"Well that depends.  Is there a package, or perhaps a deal we can work with?"

"How bout this." He said.  "I give you the coke in exchange for the sex."

"Hmm. I'd have to think about that. But, I think I might have a few guy friends who might be interested." She said.  Lily and James laughed to each other.

"Very cute, Renton." Sirius said.  "You know how to reach me."

"Indeed I do." She laughed.

The party in the common room started at around seven, after dinner.  There was music and some dancing; even the first years were invited to join.  James and Peter brought up food from the kitchen immediately after the game, to stock up for the whole tower.  The sofas and the tables were moved to the side of the room, creating a large space in the centre, where people talked, danced, drank, laughed.  Lily had a muggle stereo, which provided the music, which was loud, but not too loud.  They didn't want McGonagal running in.  

Lily, Diana and Nicole were in the far corner, sitting on the stairs to the girls' dorm.  After a while the boys joined them, James still elated over the game.

"You know, Renton, you really pissed me off today." he said, in his overly honest mood.

"I have that affect on people." She said, chuckling.

"Good game though, stressful, but good." He said.  "You didn't let me down."

"I never do." She said.  

"Well, unless there's nothing in it for you." Sirius said.

"If I cared that might have hurt." She said back, with a sardonic grin. 

"Anyway, Lily, what's the deal for tomorrow morning?" James asked

"We'll meet you down here and then we'll all go together.  Your parents are meeting us?" she asked.

"My mother is, yes." He said.  "Then we'll drive to the house."

"Sounds good." She said.  "Where do you live?"

"Not far." He said, basically.

"So what's the deal Potter? Do you live in this ridiculously big mansion?" Nicole asked, taking a sip of her drink.

James grew slightly embarrassed.  "It's not that big." He said, glancing at the floor.  

"I bet you have house elves too." She said.

"Not many."

"Wow." Lily said.  "Is that—is that modestly I hear?" she asked, putting her hand up to her ear.

"Aww, Jamie's being shy." Sirius said.  "She wants to hear that you have servants and chandeliers and bedrooms as big as a small house. Go ahead, tell her Prongs." Sirius laughed.

"Did you just call me Jamie?" James asked, with a disgusted look on his face.

"I'm guessing it bothers you." Sirius said.

"A teensy weensy bit." James said.

"Did you just say, teensy weensy?" Remus asked.

"Oh shut up, all of you." James said.

"So, what's the deal with sleeping arrangements?  Are you all sharing a room?" Remus asked.

"God no." Sirius said.  "I spend too much time with this git as it is."

"I'll share a room with you Black." Diana said devilishly.

"Hmm, no, well, I don't know. Tell me, can you catch STD's by sleeping in the same room with someone?" he asked, turning to James.

"Don't look at me." He said.

"I think you ought to know the answer to that one, Black." Diana said.  "Besides, I don't have coodies.  You might, but I don't." 

"We'll get separate bedrooms." James said.  "Or in your case, separate floors."

"You have floors?" Nicole asked.  "As in, plural?"

"Time to be quiet now Nic." Lily said.

"Nicky what do you say we dance?" Remus asked, taking her hand and leaning her out onto the floor.  

"Sure." She said, excitedly.

There weren't many people dancing, but no one seemed to care.  The others had an uncomfortable silence as they sat on the stairs, each person thinking about what to say.

"They're cute, aren't they?" Lily asked, referring to Remus and Nicole.

"Oh sure." Diana said.  "If I didn't like the both of them, they would make me vomit though."

"You mean you don't have that kind of relationship?" Sirius asked in over exaggerated surprise.

"And rudeness too.  This is getting fabulous." She said.  "I hope you're not like this all week."

"Don't be snippy." Lily advised.  

"Oh, Lil, hush.  He likes it.  Don't you Black?"  Diana said, crossing her legs.

"Are you flirting with me, Renton?" he asked in astonishment.

"Do you want me to?" she asked coyly, and then started laughing.  "Oh Black, you should see your face.  You're priceless.  But, uh, no Black, I'm not." She chuckled.

"What a relief." James said.  "And you think they're disgusting."

"Is this you trying to be funny?" Diana asked, and he looked at her crudely.  "Well, this was lovely, but I'm going up.  Lots to do, lots to do." She said, and turned around.  She trotted up the stairs and quickly into her room.

"Yesh." James said.  "And I wasn't even trying to be mean."

"Oh it wasn't you.  She's bored.  Sirius, go help her pack." Lily said.

"Uh, why?" he asked her, baffled.

"Because she wants to bitch, and you'll actually hang around to listen." Lily said, reaching for James' hand.  "And three's a crowd, so scram."

"Prongs—" 

"You heard the lady." He chuckled, helping her up.  "Who knows, she might be feeling generous. And she is bored—" Lily nudged him in the ribs.  "Ouch!"

"Oh alright." He said reluctantly.  "But if I'm not back soon--"

"We'll send a search party." Lily said, wrapping James' arms around her.

"Unless the door's locked." James said.

Sirius went up the stairs to Lily and Diana's dorm.  The door was open and she was throwing a couple of things lazily into her bag.  She was humming a tune that he didn't recognize.  She didn't notice him right away.

"Packing?" He asked, leaning against the door, yawning.

"I haven't yet. Have you?" she asked, not looking up.  She acted neither shocked nor surprised, just indifferent.

"Yea.  This morning." He said.

"You're good. Nope, me, I'm a last minute gal."  She said

"Do you need help?" he asked, pointing to her suitcase.

"Nah, I'm just killing time.  I'm a bit bored to be honest.  Oh, and, um, sorry I snapped at you. I'm always kidding." She said, quickly.

"It's fine." He said.  "I'm used to you.  After five years I should be."

"Shit. I can't believe it's been that long." She said, stopping her packing.  "Seems like yesterday we were on that train, you know, you boys all cocky and warning us about Malfoy, and Lily's face was all disfigured." She laughed.  "And then there was you hitting on me—"

"I did _not_ hit on you." He said.  "You were repulsive to me."

"Did you call all the ugly girls bright angels?" she asked, acting offended.

"Most of them.  I was eleven after all." He said, walking in.

"Yeah, and that's another thing.  We were _eleven_.  What did you think was going to happen? I'd let you hold my hand?" she said, opening her dresser drawer for more clothes.

"I can't believe you remember that." He said.  "I didn't have the perfect game I do now.  All I had were the old Bond flicks."

Diana broke out laughing.  "Oh my god, that's right." She clutched her stomach.  "Black, Sirius Black." She said, mocking his tone of voice.  "I forgot how funny that was."

He joined in with her.  "No, funny is you cursing me out on French.  Never have I seen such randomness." He chuckled.

"Well, you just get me so angry sometimes, that's all. But yeah, I was feeling European." She said.

"We are already in Europe." He clarified.

"Whatever. But you did understand it, which surprised me.  Your IQ may be higher than I thought."

"My parents, you know. They made me learn it. All the Blacks speak it." he said, plopping down on her bed.  " What about you? Your mum's from Argentina, no?"

"My dad taught me young." She said, shrugging.  "He, uh, used to call me his _petite chéri_, and I have this great-grandmother who lives on the outskirts of Paris.  My dad was born in Italy and his parents are Italian, but she's lived in France her whole life. So basically, I have no nationality.  That and, she never spoke to me in English, ever, even though she speaks it."

"Is she still alive?" he asked.

"As far as I know." She said, shrugging.  

"Does she know about your parents?" he asked, wondering if it was appropriate.

"I don't know, maybe.  She wasn't at the funeral.  But, she's all I've got left.  I saw her last summer.  Lily met her too.  I don't even think Dumbledore knows about her." She said.  "But she's a Renton, so why would he right?  She's not affiliated with this world, although she knows about it."

"So why don't you live with her?"

"I don't want to live in France." She said, bluntly, zipping her bag.  "Simple as that."

"Renton, you are by far, the most interesting, yet royally screwed up woman I have ever met." He said, crossing one leg over the other.

"Wow, mixing a compliment and an insult in the same sentence." She said, taking her bag off of the bed and throwing it onto the floor.

"Impressive, huh?"

"Clever." She corrected, and sat down beside him.  She noticed how comfortable he seemed to be sitting on her bed. "How's that working out for you?"

"What?"

"Being clever." She said.

"Great." He answered, smiling at her.

She nodded her head.  "Keep it up then."

"I will." He said.

She looked at him with a peculiar disposition and narrowed her eyes at him for a moment.  "I—um, I'm going to go for a walk." She said, unsurely, but not moving from her seating place.  A strange thought had just hit her, and she felt the need to leave immediately.

"Why?" he asked strangely.  "It's dark."

She got up off the bed and walked towards the door.  "Yea, um, I know." She said, childishly.

"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked.

"No." she said. "Really.  I, have to think for a couple of minutes, and um….." she walked out without saying goodbye, leaving him incredibly confused.  When she was outside she leaned against the wall and muttered ."Because of what might happen…."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Three's a crowd, so scram?" James asked, chuckling.

"What? It worked didn't it?" Lily said, leading him to a secluded corner of the common room, behind the stairs of the boys' dorms.

"Ugh, acts of desperation to get me alone, huh Lily?" he said.

"Desperation? Oh no, James.  I just wanted to speak with you." She said, finding a place on the floor and sitting on it, pulling him down there with her.  In this part of the room the music was muffled and so were the voices.  They were completely and totally alone.

"So I'm guessing we can't talk, I don't know, in front of people?" he said, pointing around, indicating the lack of crowd. 

"It's too noisy." She said, matter-of-factly.  " I am in no mood to shout."

"Very well. What do you want to talk about?" he asked, shifting his position to get more comfortable.

"Us." She blurted, and James felt a knot form in his stomach.  He just nodded at her, and then took of his glasses to clean them.

"Ok.  What about us?" he asked, rubbing his glasses furiously with his shirt.

"Well, it's you really." She said.

_Oh God_, he thought.  _She's breaking up with me, and she's doing the 'it's not me. It's you.'  Fantastic._

"Me?" he asked, swallowing.  This was the one time, the one and only time in his entire life where the break-up was not mutual on his part.  He was scaring himself.  That, and they were going to live together for the next week.  She could have at least had the decency to wait until then, he thought.

"I think…that we…..how do I put this……" she started.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…..he thought

"…..Need to spend a little more time together." She said.

"Huh?" he asked, thinking he was hearing things.  

"I think we need to spend a bit more time together. Is that bad?" she asked, annoyed that she had to repeat herself.

"You're not breaking up with me?" he asked, astonished.

"Well, that wasn't my original intention." She said, surveying him.  "Why? Do you want to break up?" she asked.

"Do you?"

"No." she said, before she could think of anything else.

"Neither do I." He said.  "So….."

"I'm very confused." Lily said.

"That's a first." He said.

"You thought I was breaking up with you?" she asked.

"Well….."

"Why would I break up with you?" She found this fascinating. 

"I…….don't know.  You were talking first, so go on." He said, not wanting attention on him at all.

"Oh no, you're not avoiding this.  Spit it.  Why do you think I would do that?" she asked, crossing her arms in an amused fashion.  "Is—is this insecurity I am detecting from you?" she asked, putting her hand over her mouth.  Then she started to laugh.  "You can't be serious?"

"Laugh it up, Lily, go ahead." He joked.  "This is fun, pointing out all of my flaws."

"James, they're not flaws.  You are just so full of surprises lately."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you have been showing—uh—emotions, normal ones.  Your head got smaller, well, except for the game today."

"So, hold on.  Let me get this strait.  You've just noticed my emotions now? So what the hell have you been doing with me the past….." he started counting on his fingers.  "Four months?"

"James, I like you.  I really do, and I don't even know why.  Well, I have an idea. You can be very charming when you want to be, and that night…..before Christmas was—"

"Amazing." He said.

She smiled.  "Yeah. It really was."

"Lily…."

"Yeah."

"I, um, I want to try this, with you.  I want to make it work.  Now I know I'm an asshole sometimes and I'm intolerable, but I really like spending time with you.  I like that you're my girlfriend, and you're so pretty and smart, and you're funny.  You're smarter than me, yeah, but I don't care."

"You've never had a girl who was smarter than you are? You might see want to see someone about that." She said.  "So you thought I was tired of you? Is that what you thought?"

"Kind of."

"You have no need to be.  A little while ago I questioned us, yeah." She said.

"Did I bore you?"

"Oh no.  I think what happened, and this is going to sound strange.  I think I got too comfortable around you."

"Yeah, you're right.  That is weird.  You should see someone about that." He joked.

"Shut up.  But I want to try us too, and for real this time." She said, taking his hand.  

"Because I'm deep?" he asked, smiling.

"Because you're a good kisser." She said, and leaned in.

"Oh, well that too. You don't hear me complaining." He said, and they kissed.  They spent the remainder of the night behind those stairs, not listening to the music or dancing.  At around 2 a.m. Lily awoke to find him still next to her, perched up against the wall.  It was pitch black in the common room and Lily could hardly find her way out.  She only had to go to the bathroom.

When she returned James had moved onto one of the couches in the common room.  Everything was now back in its original spot, and Lily wondered where her radio was.  He was half asleep when she sat down next to him.  It was strange, she thought.  As he put his arm back around her, she wondered why she felt so comfortable in his arms, despite then being technically "together". And why a boyfriend like James Potter might be exactly what she needed.

(again, sorry, love you all for waiting…..)


	20. Great Expectations

Disclaimer: see previous chapters. Again, sorry for the wait. I had shit to do. I have compensated by giving you an extra long chapter, but it is only a part one. Enjoy and review!  
  
~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Hurry up, Diana, wake the fuck up." Lily said, shaking her best friend into consciousness.  
  
"No need for the language, you bitch." Diana grumbled, falling out of her own bed. Lily laughed like a hyena at her. "Shut up."  
  
"We're going to miss the train. Now you are packed right?" Lily asked, looking at her watch.  
  
"Yeah." She sighed.  
  
"Oh, I'm so excited." Lily said.  
  
"Really? I can't tell all that well." Diana yawned as she watched Lily prance about their dorm in a daze. "What the bloody hell are you so chipper about? Hey...where were you last night? I was terribly lonesome all by myself."  
  
"I was with Potter is all." Lily said, trying to cover up her smile.  
  
"Is that so? Hmm...slut." Diana coughed.  
  
"Oh we didn't have sex dear." Lily said, casually, counting her suitcases and Diana's. There were three total. "We just slept together."  
  
"You slept together without having sex?" Diana asked, as if it were unbelievable.  
  
"It's possible." Lily said. "Now take your shit. We've missed breakfast."  
  
"So where's the boyfriend now?" Diana asked, contemptuously. "Picking daisies?"  
  
"Don't be jealous." Lily said.  
  
"I'm not. At least I'm...oh never mind it's too early in the morning." Diana said.  
  
"I know what you are going to say, and yes, it is." Lily answered, combing her hair back. "Did you see him last night?"  
  
"Who? Oh..no. I wasn't in the mood." Diana said, grabbing her robe out of her closet. She draped it loosely over her shoulders. "You know, he asked me to stay with him over break."  
  
"I did not!" Lily said. "When? Why?"  
  
"To, and I quote, 'Get better acquainted with his family.' He said," Diana cleared her throat to mock him, "Darling..." Lily started to laugh. "I'm not done." She cleared her throat again. "Darling...We need to spend more time together. I want you to get to know me outside of this petty little school. You'd love it where I live, and I would treat you like a queen. Once you stay with me, you'd never want to leave."  
  
"Damn. It's like he wants you to join a cult." Lily said, continuing to laugh. "Dead on by the way. Well done."  
  
"Please...I was going to though, but I wanted to spend more time with you. I'm always with him, you know. I'll probably see him one of these days, maybe two. That is, if he can wait that long." Diana said, stretching upwards.  
  
"Unbelievable. Men are so funny aren't they? Last night, James thought I was going to dump him. Can you believe it? I told him no, but his paranoia was so obvious. It was hilarious. I thought he was going to wet himself." Lily said.  
  
Diana laughed. "Ah, the power a woman has over a man." She flipped her hair back to express her drama.  
  
"What would that be exactly?" came a voice from behind. Diana immediately closed her robe while Lily let out a very startled Jesus Christ! "Sorry ladies. Coffee, to go."  
  
"God damn it, Black." Diana said, slapping him hard on the shoulder. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that."  
  
"We've got to go. The train's leaving soon and breakfast is over. Someone overslept so I brought up coffee." Sirius said.  
  
"Aww, how sweet." Lily said. "Where's James?"  
  
"Downstairs already." Sirius said. "Get dressed."  
  
As they brought their bags out onto the train and in their own compartments, the girls felt even more excited than before. Even though they would separate later, Remus, Nicole, Peter and Katrina were also in their compartments.  
  
"Good morning, Potter." Lily said, sensually, exuding her power simply for sport.  
  
"Morning." He said, after kissing her on the mouth. "Isn't this nice. I saw you an hour ago."  
  
"I know. I was trying to be cute." She said, smiling.  
  
"What are you going to do when you get there?" Nicole asked, as the train started to move.  
  
"We don't have an itinerary." James answered. "Food most likely, will be first."  
  
"Yeah." Diana yawned. "Food would be great."  
  
"Did you sleep last night Renton?" Sirius asked. "How was your walk?"  
  
"Uneventful, thanks." She responded, and she would say no more. She looked at him throughout the entire train ride, studying him slightly. By the time it came to an end she convinced herself, as practically as possible, that he did not, by any means, look attractive to her in any way, shape or form. No, she thought. Black's just fun sometimes, to be with that is. She would never take it further than the occasional flirt, just to keep it comfortable.  
  
"Moony." Sirius said, as the train halted.  
  
"Yeah." Remus answered.  
  
"Come by tonight."  
  
"Yeah." James seconded. "Wormtail, you too. Bring Kat is you like."  
  
"Thanks Potter, but I've seen it." Katrina answered. "Or maybe I will. You always did have good peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."  
  
As the teenagers got out of the train, James searched for his mother amongst the other eager parents. After only a few moments he saw her searching too, and they found each other. She beamed at the site of her son, and waved him and his friends over. Her scarlet robes swished in the wind.  
  
"Hi Mum." James said as she embraced him.  
  
Even at 5'10'' James' mother looked at him as though he was a child. He did not tower over her. In fact, since she had on heels, they were the exact same height. She kissed his cheek and put her hand on his face affectionately. Angelica Potter, as she was known, was never stingy with her affection for her son.  
  
"Hi dear." She said. "My...they take you away from us for a measly eight months and this is how you've grown. I missed you."  
  
"Where's dad?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, he couldn't be here James. He's working from the house today. He's so sorry." She said, and finally noticed the others before her. "Hello everyone. Well, well.." She started to chuckle. "When you said your girlfriend and her friend were coming, I didn't know you were talking about the redhead and the brunette. So I guess the war is over. Care to introduce me?"  
  
"Oh, sorry. Mum, this here's Lily Evans and her friend Diana Renton." James said.  
  
"I knew your Mum." Mrs. Potter said to Diana. "We both got knocked up at the same time." She joked, trying to lighten the mood. "And she was funny as hell."  
  
"Yea, she was." Diana said. "She spoke of you sometimes. Angie right?" Diana felt weird. She did not like talking about her mother. It would upset her.  
  
"Yep. I'm surprised she said anything. You look so much like her-"  
  
"Thank you." Diana said, cutting her off, and putting on the sunglasses that were in her pocket. Mrs. Potter realized this.  
  
"Well, Lily, it's lovely to meet you." She said, shaking her hand. "My son speaks fondly of you in his letters."  
  
"You've written letters about me?" Lily asked, actually touched.  
  
"Oops, sorry. Didn't mean to blow the cover, honey." Mrs. Potter said. "What do you say we go to the car? This way." She said, and began walking. When they got to it, a black town car, she opened each of their doors with a touch of a button. "These muggles, I'll tell you, they certainly have it right." She said, opening her car door.  
  
She noticed Sirius open the door for the girls on the left side, letting Diana in. Mrs. Potter saw Diana smile at him, he returned it, and then shook his head.  
  
"Mr. Black." Mrs. Potter said. Sirius looked up at her with a questioning look. "Come here." She said and beckoned him with her finger. When he stood in front of her she shook her head and crossed her arms. Then, with a smile she hugged him too, and he hugged her back. "There. Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" She put her hands on her hips.  
  
"I've forgotten my manners. I apologize." Sirius said, sincerely.  
  
"I expect both of my sons to treat me with respect, you hear? You are no different. Now get in the car, Black, before I run you over." The girls and James laughed from the back seat.  
  
"Jesus Christ, you guys are from the same womb." Diana joked, as Sirius entered the back seat.  
  
They drove for what seemed like an hour, through London and into the outskirts. The neighbourhood they finally entered was brilliant and high class. It was obvious only the rich lived there. The sites alone were like a tour, and Lily and Diana kept leaning over the boys to get a better look. This made Mrs. Potter laugh. Not so much their eagerness, but the awkwardness of the boys next to them.  
  
"Oh my.." Lily whispered, as the Potter town car approached the even more extravagant estate. James' mother chuckled slightly at her reaction.  
  
"It's a bit much dear, isn't it?" she said, pulling into the driveway. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it, once my son here gets you properly situated."  
  
Lily looked over at James to find him blushing and trying to hide it. She smiled at his cuteness. Then she looked at Diana, who was jammed in the middle with her. Diana smiled back, and pushed her sunglasses up higher on her face after giving Lily a wink.  
  
"Well now, don't just sit here children. Get out of the car." Mrs. Potter said, taking the keys out of the ignition. "It's almost lunchtime." She went into the house as if sticking around meant a very big delay in her schedule. Once home she felt more at ease, quickening her step and becoming more of the homemaker she was. This house was a village in itself, one she proudly governed.  
  
"What does that matter?" Diana asked Sirius in a whisper. She figured asking James would have been too forward, and the poor boy looked as if he would die of embarrassment if anything else were mentioned.  
  
"Oh nothing." He answered, opening the door. As she peered her head out she found his hand ready in a gentlemanly fashion, standing by to help her out. She took it. "It's always some sort of time in the Potter household: lunchtime, tea time, dinner time, supper time, snack time, bed time, and my personal favourite, dessert time, not necessarily in that order. There's always some kind of buffet or Venetian hour around here. It's like a goddamn hotel."  
  
"Shut up." James said, slamming his own car door, after Lily had gotten out.  
  
"I'm sure it's lovely James." Lily said. "I bet he's just jealous." She said, squinting at Sirius, who wasn't making James' trip home any less stressful. She knew he was nervous about bringing them home, and she wanted Sirius to shut his mouth for once.  
  
"Oh yea, I'm jealous." Sirius said.  
  
"Children." Diana said, taking her sunglasses off and arching her neck to get a clearer glimpse of the house. She also let go of Sirius' hand. "Wow. It goes all the way down the block. You actually live here?"  
  
"Sometimes." James said, ascending the front steps. "Hardly."  
  
"I live here more than he does." Sirius said.  
  
"That's not true." James said back. "When he's here, I'm here. He likes to live here because back at home nobody loves him." Despite how true that was, the way it was spoken suggested he was jesting. Sirius would have said a meaner comment to rival it, but he was too relieved that it was vacation to care. He hated his parents as much as they hated him.  
  
"Is that true?" Lily asked.  
  
"Oh Lily, don't be naïve." Diana said. "I'm sure he just wants to break free like the rest of us. You know, start his life or whatever."  
  
"I moved out last June." Sirius said, as they all treaded the stairs, panting by the time they got to the front. "I'm looking at flats in London. James is letting me stay with him and his family until I get a place of my own."  
  
"Really? That is so wicked." Diana said. "I wish I could do that. I wish I had the guts to do that."  
  
"Do what?" James asked, opening his front door.  
  
"Leave." Lily answered for her. "So where's this lunch your Mum was talking about?"  
  
"It's in the backyard." James said.  
  
"It's a beautiful day for breakfast outside." Lily said, taking his hand for support. He smiled at her before it was interrupted by an annoyed screech.  
  
"James!" they all heard. James winced at its booming tone.  
  
"Coming!" he called back, and shoved his hands in his pockets.  
  
"Is that your dad?" Lily asked.  
  
"Yea." He answered, hoping they wouldn't follow him into the room.  
  
"Shouldn't we go and say hello?" she insinuated.  
  
"I don't think so." Diana said, remembering his lack of compassion and less than subtle news breaking of her parents' deaths.  
  
Instead, Mr. Harold Potter stepped out of his office with an impatient look on his face because of his son's lack of promptness at his beckoning. He leaned against the large cherry wood doorframe with his arms folded, in the cocky way James frequently did. He pulled out his pocket watch with his left hand, for his right was holding a lit cigar.  
  
"Hi Dad." James said, shifting his weight. Mr. Potter just nodded.  
  
"Who are these people?" he asked, snapping the watch closed and shoving it back in his pocket. "Friends of yours?" Through the cloud of smoke he almost looked menacing.  
  
"We're beggar children from the slums of downtown London." Diana exclaimed harshly. "We're looking for food, if you could spare some."  
  
"Oh I remember this one. Hello Miss Renton." Mr. Potter said, chuckling. He walked over to them and extended his hand. She raised an eyebrow at him and shook it. In reality, Mr. Potter wasn't intimidating at all. He just liked to seem that way on first impressions. He got quite the kick out of it.  
  
"Mr. Potter." She said, with a nod.  
  
"And hello Miss Evans." He said, shifting his attention to the redhead arm- in-arm with his son. "My wife says that you and my son seem to be quite the item at school. You are certainly as pretty as she says. I understand you all used to be in a five year long argument, yes? Funny really. That's how the Mrs. and I knew each other for the first years of our lives at Hogwarts. Then this one came along out of nowhere. James, how could you have not noticed her sooner? She's delightful." He said, shaking her hand as well.  
  
"Dad." He said, uneasily. "Please."  
  
"Sorry son. Didn't mean to embarrass you. But I'm sure Sirius will make up for all the ridicule I had planned over lunch. Why so quiet Black?"  
  
"Hey Mr. P. Hungry is all. No bother." Sirius said with a shrug. "Sleep would be nice too." Needless to say, Sirius was extremely comfortable in the Potter household.  
  
"Ah. Well why don't you show your friends to their rooms James, hmm? Then we can all go eat. Fin has already spread out the appetizers so be quick about it. Lovely seeing you all again." Mr. Potter said, before casually walking down the hall into the little patio behind their house. The door was through the kitchen.  
  
Lily looked at James with confusion. "Who's Fin?"  
  
"The house elf." James answered, sighing.  
  
"That's what your dad is really like then, huh?" she asked him.  
  
"What does that mean?" he asked, pointing them all in the direction of the stairs.  
  
"Your dad was an asshole the last time we saw him." Diana said. "Uncompassionate prick."  
  
"That's just his way. He's very set in his ways. Don't ask questions. He's a royal pain in the ass." James said. "Stairs." He said, ascending them.  
  
"Sounds a bit familiar, no?" She laughed and James snorted at her insinuation. "It's fine, just weird that's all, that he's Minister of Magic and we're staying in his house, like guests." Lily commented.  
  
"Well that's what I feel every time I come home." James said.  
  
"Be quiet. You love it here." Sirius said. "You couldn't live any other way. You'd miss this too much, regardless of how much you say you hate it."  
  
When they reached the second floor they were even more astounded. The ceilings were higher and the hallways longer with majestic artwork embellished with red and gold tapestries. Family portraits covered the walls, including one of Mr. and Mrs. Potter on their wedding day, smiling while rose petals were being thrown in the air. Lily smiled at it, hoping one day she would be that happy.  
  
"Holy shit." Diana whispered, bringing Lily back.  
  
"That's your wing over there." James pointed to the right of the stairs. "And there's ours." He pointed to the left.  
  
Diana and Lily exchanged overwhelmed glances. "We have our own wing?" Lily asked.  
  
"Complete with sitting room, kitchenette and full size bathroom for two." Sirius said, mocking a tone like that of a tour guide.  
  
"That's amazing." Diana said, rushing to the outsized marble door that was the entrance to their section of the house. "What's that over there?" she pointed to the centre of the hallway, where the two wings separated.  
  
"That's the library." James said.  
  
"A library." Lily repeated enthusiastically. "Oh, how wonderful." She clapped her hands together childishly and grabbed James' arm again in joyful anticipation.  
  
"Wait. What about our bags?" Diana asked.  
  
"They'll be brought up after lunch. Let's go. You two can explore after we get something in our stomachs." James answered, and they all followed him back down the stairs. There was a long hallway that led to the kitchen where James mother was.  
  
The kitchen was located in the back of the house and illuminated with sunshine through the bay windows. Mrs. Potter sat at the table and seemed to be skimming various documents that were actually newspapers. She was looking at them as if she held something confidential, jotting little notes and crumpling and throwing away unnecessary advertisements and junk mail. She also happened to be giving out sporadic orders to Fin, the little house elf who was arranging the last bits of lunch on a tray too big for his tiny frame to carry. He struggled and swayed as he opened the back door with his free hand.  
  
"Estella. Help him." Mrs. Potter said, not looking up from her bundle of periodicals, while snapping her fingers impatiently. "Oh, hello children." She said with a smile as the four teenagers staggered inside, forming a line after James. Then, out of nowhere another little house elf emerged from what looked like a dog door, scurrying and twittering about, grabbing the door after the other house elf.  
  
Mrs. Potter then got up, moving the papers into a neat little pile and putting them into a cream coloured manila folder. As she stood up, her tall frame seemed to elongate further, and as she straitened, gave her a look of aristocratic elegance. Her hair, pulled back with loose strands falling freely, accentuated her heart shaped face with ebony luminescence.  
  
"Why are you all standing there like statues? Are you going to eat or not?" she asked, opening the door. "We've got a lovely spread today, given Sirius doesn't eat it all within the next five minutes."  
  
"Now Angie, how you underestimate me." Sirius said. "Two..at least."  
  
"Watch it mister. As long as you are under this roof I am Mrs. Potter, understand?" She said, pointing a finger at him with her free hand. "Did you girls see your rooms?" She said, immediately averting her attention.  
  
"No, not yet." Lily said. "Beautiful wing though."  
  
"Yes. It's the guest wing, then my son's room. We added an extra bed in there though because of this one." She said, pointing to Sirius. She walked through the door and let the screen close behind her. Mr. Potter was already outside, munching away on a sandwich of some sort. When Lily looked out he saw Mr. Potter grab his wife, letting her fall on his lap. She giggled and kissed him on the forehead before getting up.  
  
"Yuck. Get a room, please." Sirius said, walking outside.  
  
"Quiet Black." Said Mr. Potter. "So, how do you ladies like the house?"  
  
"Beautiful Mr. Potter, just gorgeous." Lily said eagerly.  
  
"Why thank you. Now help yourself. There is plenty to go around." He said, waving his hand in front of the spread.  
  
They each helped themselves to sandwiches and drinks of homemade butterbeer and pumpkin juice, while the two house elves cleaned up where they could; their little hands speedily sweeping and arranging so that everything was just as perfect as it should be.  
  
"Oh no Miss, please let us do it," shouted Fin, while Estella squeaked and muttered undetectable comments of apologies and service.  
  
When lunch was finished James' parents went their separate ways, he to work and she to household business, while the four teenagers took an afternoon walk around the gardens. There were four of them, each with its own unique theme decorated by the well cared for landscaping. The girls went off on their own to explore them, because the boys were quite bored having grown up with this around them for as long as they could remember.  
  
The first garden had an undersea motif. The bushes and flowers were carved and sculpted to look like coral and fish, with oversized orchids, magically enhanced to look like they were being moved by the waves of the invisible ocean that surrounded them. Yellows and pinks meshed with the subtle blues and whites to give the seclusion of the place an even more private feel. The gate looked like ruins from the lost city of Atlantis, creating the feeling of abandonment and isolation that was the essence of the ocean. The girls stared about in awe, touching and speed walking to every corner.  
  
The next one, right next to it and through the portal, was one completely the opposite of the other. It was snowing, in fact, but not wintry. They were actually startled at first, but pleasantly surprised nonetheless. Without feeling the slightest chill they made snow angels and threw snowballs at each other, tumbling and falling about in their own childish play, reliving past Christmas', at least for a few minutes, before Lily ran into the third garden.  
  
The sun was bright in this one, and the lustre of the flowers in it only added to it. Every colour in the rainbow was there, and every exotic flower from India to Louisiana was shaped like elegant women in seventeenth century attire. Their skirts made of roses in the colours of pink and red, some blue, others a brilliant cornucopia of matching turquoise and alabaster. Their hair was red and white, made out of every type of lily. The flower women waved and blew kisses at the new guests, who stood staring in awe of such an incredible marvel.  
  
"This one is my favourite." Lily said, caressing the skirt of one of them. The flower woman's face turned to a shade of light crimson before she resumes her statuesque position.  
  
"This place is unreal." Diana added, when she saw the door to the next garden. She shrieked with happiness when she saw what lie before her. She could see into the next garden, and its contents from where she was standing, and she was through the portal quicker than Lily noticed. "Lily!" she cried and Lily ran in after her.  
  
Lily put her hand over her mouth when she entered the last garden. She felt as if she were on a roof, high up, even though they had not ascended stairs or travelled more than five feet or so. There were large spider plants hanging. They were filled with ivy, some embellished in little white flowers. Roses were on the ground, in bushes, with thick thorns and blood red petals. There was a bench in the centre, designed in roman architecture, and a table to the right next to an ivy wall.  
  
When Lily looked up she saw the sky, in sync with the one outside of it. There was a balcony, where Diana was, and the view Lily saw made her tear up at its beauty. Diana was already crying. Her torso was far over, trying to reach something, as if it wasn't real. It wasn't, only a simulation, but she still felt enriched with pleasure at the site of it.  
  
"Lily." she cried, groping for her hand. "Look at it."  
  
"I see. This is magic I have never seen. How did they capture it?" she said, reaching forward herself.  
  
"La tour (the tower)." Diana whispered.  
  
"Paris." Lily said. "It just looks so real."  
  
"This one is my favourite." Diana said.  
  
Lily looked at her friend, and noticed how at home she looked in this place. She hadn't seen her that happy in months. For Diana, at that moment, none of it mattered. Nothing, not Malfoy, Hogwarts or her parents' deaths. Lily figured she wasn't so nonchalant about Paris after all. It was the only place she felt at home.  
  
They left the gardens with a sort of dreamy longing. The boys were nowhere to be found and it took a little while for Lily and Diana to find their wing without getting lost. They eventually did find it, however, and when they opened their doors for the first time their luggage had already been brought up. Lily explored the room a bit while Diana went strait to the balcony overlooking a little lake on the side of the house.  
  
"Oh Lily..I don't ever want to go back to school." Diana whined.  
  
"Why?" Lily asked, from the interior.  
  
"I don't know." She sighed. "Oh, I just want to leave. I want to go away, anywhere but here. There's too much here."  
  
"Are you talking about Malfoy?"  
  
"I'm talking about everything. I love Lucius. At least I think I do. Things are just so fucked. He...he.." she stuttered.  
  
"What? C'mon, you can talk to me." Lily said, walking closer to her.  
  
"He frightens me. It's strange really. I'm feeling so many things and I can't express them. It's driving me mad. I just need something to happen, anything really. Good, bad, it doesn't matter. I don't like being me anymore. Lily, don't you see that I'm just pretending? You know it too. I know you do."  
  
Lily sighed. "Yea I know. You are acting a bit skitzo. It's understandable. I see parts of you though, like when your with me...or with Black-"  
  
"Fuck Black. He's just as fishy as the rest of them. He's hiding something. I know it. All men are the same Lily. They all screw us over and leave us to the dogs."  
  
"Don't say that. All men are not like that." Lily said.  
  
Diana started laughing, but it was a painful, menacing laugh, for she was offended by the comment. "Please tell me that was a joke. Lily, you shouldn't talk. The guy your dating has slept with more girls then even he can remember. You know what they say, once a player, always a player. After all this time, you think you would remember that."  
  
Lily acknowledged her point. In fact, it was one of the reasons she was nervous about coming there. She said nothing. She let her be. Let her rant, she thought. Lily walked back inside and continued unpacking, closing the door to the balcony behind her. After smoking a cigarette and thinking about nothing particularly important, Diana began to pace back and forth, from one end to the other. She was in an unexplainable daze.  
  
She caught herself singing after a few minutes, but continued on anyway. She tried to remember the last time she felt happy, and suddenly Sirius Black's face popped into her mind. She didn't know why, and questioned it, but figured it was a fluke. He was unusually quiet today, she thought. That must be it. She couldn't get this song out of her head.  
  
"Les escaliers de Montmartre sont durs aux miséreux. Les ailes du Moulin protégent les amoureux." (The stairways up to Montmarte are hardest on the poor. The sails of the mill, like wings, shelter the lovers.) Diana laughed, hearing her great grandmother's voice in her head, until she was interrupted by a large bird perching itself on the ledge. It startled her so much that she jumped back.  
  
It was an eagle, and one she had seen before. It was carrying a letter, presumably for her. She walked up to it slowly, because it was an intimidating bird. It held out its leg pointedly and she quickly grabbed the letter in its talons. Then, without so much as a screech, it flew off.  
  
She sighed before opening it. She read it quickly, and then folded it back neatly, with a crooked smile upon her face. She suddenly became restless, and bit her lip to clarify.  
  
Lily on the other hand, became restless too. Annoyed and unfulfilled, she stopped her unpacking and left her quarters.  
  
James and Sirius were outside taking a nap, or at least trying to. Fin kept coming around and taking drink orders and dusting around them, asking them if they needed anything and kept bowing out whenever he left.  
  
"So where do you think our girls ran off to?" James asked, adjusting his position on the lounge chair.  
  
"You mean your girl and her friend? No idea. Exploring I guess." Sirius said. "Maybe they got lost."  
  
"They didn't get lost. It's a house." He said. "Besides, they haven't gone long. I bet their stuck in one of the gardens or something."  
  
"When's dinner?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Seven." James answered.  
  
"What time is it now?"  
  
"Not seven is all I know, or we would have gotten twelve thousand reminders." James groaned, referring to his intolerable house elf.  
  
"You know what I noticed?" Sirius said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You've been acting all weird today."  
  
"I've been acting weird? Listen to yourself mate, or actually you cant because you haven't said a peep nearly all day." James said, taking a sip of what looked like some sort of tropical daiquiri.  
  
"I'm tired, damn. But you, jeese. 'I hardly ever live here. I don't like being rich. I don't have great parents. I'm just a poor sensitive boy who has the burden of having more money than the gods.'" Sirius mocked.  
  
"I did not say that." James said, straitening up. "Cigarette."  
  
Sirius handed him one, and lit one for himself. "You insinuated it, acting like your misunderstood or something and it is a chore to live here. Stop trying to impress Lily, mate. You don't have to. She doesn't care and I bet she would die to live in a place like this. And she loves your parents. I can tell."  
  
"They embarrass me, with all their lovey-doveyness. I did miss my Mum though. And also, what do you expect? I can't parade around my house like I own it. I don't want Lily to think I'm conceited." James said, before Sirius coughing, and then laughing cut him off.  
  
"Prongs mate. You must be living up your ass if you think Lily doesn't know how conceited you are. Don't worry about it. I'm the same way. Nothing wrong with it." Sirius said.  
  
"I'm not conceited. I am vain. There is a big difference." James clarified.  
  
"No, there isn't." Sirius said, reaching over to the floor to grab his drink.  
  
"Oh yes there is. Being conceited is thinking you are the best looking in the world. Vain is just caring how you present yourself in front of others. Both deal with appearances, but one is more full of pride then the other."  
  
"They both deal with pride. Conceit is just having a high opinion of one's self. Vanity is pride in one's self. They are the same, exact, thing, you loser." Sirius said. "Now be quiet so I can get a nap in before we eat again."  
  
"I'm not tired anymore. I'm too confused. I need to think." James said.  
  
"Don't hurt yourself." Sirius yawned, and in no time he drifted off into his brief slumber, while Fin carefully carried his drink back into the kitchen.  
  
The sun was setting and as James looked up at the sky he suddenly saw a shapely figure block it. Her arms were folded but she did not look cross. He put up his hand to block the shadow so he could see her better.  
  
"Hey." He said, trying to hide the fact that he was happy to see her.  
  
"Hello there." Lily said. "Scoot."  
  
James moved over on his chair to make room for her. She sat down comfortably, but there really wasn't any room for them to move. She shrugged at him while smiling. He nodded his head, and she then moved onto his lap.  
  
"How long has sleeping beauty here been asleep?" Lily asked, cocking her head towards Sirius.  
  
"Couldn't tell you." James said, propping up his glasses. "Have you got the time?"  
  
"Almost six." She said.  
  
"Have fun exploring?" he asked, putting his hand subtly on her back.  
  
"Oh yes." She said, smoothing his hair, absentmindedly. "So beautiful. And that last one-"  
  
"Paris? My Mum's idea. That's her project. You know, that is the actual view of it. It is our own window. Everything that is happening in that section of the city we can see right here. My Mum goes there sometimes, just to look. My Dad proposed to her there."  
  
"That's adorable." Lily said. "They seem very happy."  
  
"They rarely see each other. This is a rarity, my dear." James said. "Before today it's probably been months."  
  
"Well I like that. It shows they still keep their love alive, in a sense." She said. "Did you just call me your dear?"  
  
James blushed. "I was hoping you didn't catch that."  
  
"I caught it....honey." At that they both laughed, before he kissed her on the cheek. "God, I hope you're not like this with the rest of them."  
  
"Rest of who, Lily?" James said, touching her long, scarlet hair. "There is just you."  
  
"No, I know. I meant, in the past. If this is all part of your game, well, you are brilliant at it." She said.  
  
"Lily, you have to know something. If this were part of my game, you would know. And if I were trying to make it with you, physically, I would have done it already." He said. It came out with more attitude then he had intended.  
  
"What?" she asked, not really understanding his point. "So you're saying that if you wanted to have sex with me, that it would have already been accomplished? You think you're that good? You think it's that simple?" She felt a bit irritated.  
  
"That's not really what I meant-" he tried to save himself.  
  
"Not what you meant? Do you think I'm that stupid, that easy? Ugh, I can't believe you. Unlike you, I take sex very seriously. I'm not just going to drop my pants for anyone, you know." She jumped off his lap. "And another thing. Am I really that undesirable that you haven't wanted to sleep with me yet?"  
  
"I know. Lily, hold on and let me finish. What I meant was," he sighed, "That I do, yes, in fact, want to sleep with you...someday. I really, really like you. I think, aside from this unpredictable temper thing you've got going, that you are a great girl, uh, woman. I respect you, which is why I haven't tried anything since we've been going out."  
  
"Yes you have." Lily corrected. "Hogsmeade. You said we could rent a room for the afternoon, and you were very touchy-feely that day."  
  
"I thought you liked it when I showed affection." He said.  
  
"I do, but we don't have to snog in front of the whole school. We're not trying to prove anything."  
  
"I know. And just so we're clear about some things, I didn't ask you to come here so that we can sleep together. I just didn't want to be away from you for a whole week." He said, getting up as well, and folding the chair up. "That's the truth."  
  
Lily was deeply touched, but the feeling was interrupted by Fin coming out of the backdoor again.  
  
"Master James, Master James." He panted.  
  
"Yes?" James answered, and Lily thought he sounded cutely dignified indeed.  
  
"You mother-she would like a word sir. She wants to know if Miss would like to help her, sir." Fin said, in between breaths. "She is starting dinner now."  
  
"Oh, right." James said. "You can call her Lily, by the way, Fin. She doesn't mind, do you Lil?"  
  
"Of course not." She said, and held out her hand. "Pleasure, Fin."  
  
"Oh, the pleasure is all mine Miss Lily, all mine. Master is very lucky, indeed, very lucky." He said, and when he caught himself, he blushed and ran inside.  
  
"Yes, lucky indeed." James whispered, as Lily followed the elf inside.  
  
"Lily, would you like to help me cook?" Mrs. Potter asked, as she reached under the sink to grab some pots and pans.  
  
"You cook?" Lily asked, rather presumptuously.  
  
Mrs. Potter laughed. "Yes, dear, I cook." She said. "Estella and Fin just set up lunch. I love cooking. It gives me something to do."  
  
"Of course I will." Lily said.  
  
"Would your friend like to help too?" Mrs. Potter asked.  
  
"Oh, she's busy unpacking. Best not to bother her when she's like this."  
  
"Like what?" she asked, while turning on the stove with her wand and setting a pot of water on top of it.  
  
"Oh nothing." Lily said, catching herself. "She's just a little odd, that's all."  
  
"Are she and Sirius an item?" Mrs. Potter asked, while looking through her pantry for the appropriate pasta.  
  
"Oh no." Lily laughed.  
  
"They should be." She said, grabbing a jar full of angel hair. "Can you hand me the vegetables? They're on the counter there."  
  
"No, no." Lily said, as she took a handful of asparagus. "They're horrible to one another. But.." She started, while Mrs. Potter made eye contact with her.  
  
"What? Oh, is there gossip? I've been out of the loop for so long as far as the world is concerned. Chop those up please, Lily. There's a knife in the cupboard behind you."  
  
"Well.. I don't know if I should say anything. He's very secretive about it." Lily said. She felt oddly comfortable talking with James' mother in such a way. But she was so easy to talk to.  
  
"Ah, Sirius? I knew it. I knew something was up." She said, excitedly. She walked up to Lily and grabbed a towel from the rack on the oven. "Oh do tell, Lily. Oh, and the tomatoes too, dear." She said.  
  
Lily began slicing the tomatoes first, since it was easier. She laughed at Mrs. Potter's girlishness. "I don't know. He'd be horribly embarrassed if you knew. He's very concerned with his reputation."  
  
"He's in love with her, isn't he?" Mrs. Potter said. Lily bit her lip, but nodded just the same. "I knew it." Mrs. Potter said, shaking her head at her own intuition. "Sweet boy."  
  
"You must promise not to let on though." Lily said.  
  
"Oh, no. I won't breathe a word. Does she know?"  
  
"Oblivious." Lily chuckled. "Either that or she doesn't want to believe it. She's too preoccupied with-oh, um, other things." Lily said, tossing the pile of slices tomatoes to the side. She started on the asparagus.  
  
"There's someone else. I can tell that too. Ugh, she so reminds me of myself. She is like her mother, yes, but she is very mysterious. She has her demons, and her secrets. Then again, don't we all." She said, lower than usual. "Who is he?"  
  
"A horrible man. I hate him." Lily said. "He is terrible for her, and has caused her such misery. You have no idea."  
  
"What is his family? Pureblood or muggle? If he's a pureblood it's likely I know him." She said, grabbing a bag full of potatoes. She started washing them in the sink.  
  
"He's a Malfoy." Lily spit out, before she could prevent it. Mrs. Potter turned and widened her eyes at Lily, who blushed at her incapability of keeping a secret. She should have never told that to her boyfriend's mother, she thought. It was a big mistake.  
  
"Oh no." Mrs. Potter said, putting her hand over her heart. "That is-" she said, turning around, "Very bad." She sighed. "Very bad, indeed."  
  
There was silence for a few minutes while Mrs. Potter put the potatoes in the oven to cook, and Lily diced the asparagus. Mrs. Potter put her hair up high in a bun to keep it out of her face, and strapped on an apron to protect her robes.  
  
"So, um."Lily tried to break the uncomfortable silence. "James tells me Mr. Potter proposed to you in Paris, hence the garden?"  
  
"Oh yes." Mrs. Potter laughed. "That was a long time ago, after graduation. My sister, um, friend and I were there too. She was already married and had her child. We were the tag alongs, and he just popped the question in front of the Eiffel Tower."  
  
"That's so sweet. You said you had a sister?" Lily asked, catching Mrs. Potter's little correction.  
  
"Two, yes. One of them is much older than the other. I have an older sister, but not by much. I am the baby."  
  
"Was she with you at the time, or the other?" Lily asked.  
  
"No it was she. Our children were playing at the time. They were quite close."  
  
"Hold on. Your children? Does James have an older brother?"  
  
Mrs. Potter caught her own error, and knew she couldn't fix it now. "No. James..he was born, um, before we were married..about two years in fact."  
  
"What?!" Lily couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You're joking."  
  
"No." she said. "My sister was twenty and I was eighteen."  
  
Lily stopped chopping for a second and stared at Mrs. Potter, who seemed to be perspiring. "You mean..you had James when you were...still at Hogwarts?"  
  
"Hush." She said, forcefully. "James would be very embarrassed if you knew. It was a mistake, no, it was an accident, a very pleasant accident."  
  
"Oh my God." Lily said, blown away. "So that would make you-"  
  
"32." She answered.  
  
"That's insane. That would mean your niece is the same age as us. Who is she? Does she go to Hogwarts? What is your sister's name?"  
  
"Ali. Our parents named us all A names. It runs in the family I suppose. Angie, Ali, and Ara. That's who we were. Now get back to work, Lily, please. The potatoes are almost ready and I need the tomatoes to put in the sauce." She said, in a uniform fashion, knowing Lily knew too much, and knowing she couldn't have prevented it. Lily was too shocked to carry the conversation any further.  
  
Dinner was prepared, and the table was set. It was such a beautiful night that they decided to eat outside again. Sirius woke up to find it dark outside, but he felt rested. Diana came down, shoving the letter in her back jean pocket. James put the chairs away and added extras to the table so everyone could fit. Fin and Estella laid out the food with swift elegance, while everyone sat down. They also put out a bottle of red wine and a pitcher of hot butterbeer. Mr. And Mrs. Potter sat at the head and foot of the table. James and Lily sat on the left of Mr. Potter, while Diana and Sirius sat to the right.  
  
"May I ask a question, Mrs. Potter?" Diana asked, taking a sip from her glass.  
  
"You may call me Angie, Diana." She answered. "And yes, you may?"  
  
"Are we allowed to leave, I mean, to visit while we are here?"  
  
"I do not run a prison, honey. Of course you can leave." Then Mrs. Potter remembered Malfoy. "Who is it, exactly, you want to visit?" she said, as calmly as possible.  
  
"Just a friend of mine." Diana said, quickly. "He would pick me up. You wouldn't have to haul me anywhere, I promise you."  
  
"Um.."Mrs. Potter glanced at Lily, then at her husband, who had no clue what was going on. She sighed. "No one here can stop you. Of course you may." She said, forcing a smile.  
  
"Thank you." Diana said, more excited than before. "This is delicious, by the way."  
  
"Thank you. Lily and I did it." Mrs. Potter answered.  
  
"You cooked?" Sirius asked, taking the words out of Diana's mouth.  
  
"Yes I cooked." Lily answered, offended at the insinuation.  
  
"Blimey." Diana laughed. "I'll help clean up." She said, as she grabbed her plate and pulled out her chair.  
  
"That won't be necessary." Mr. Potter said. "Fin and Estella do the cleaning. But dear, you have barely touched your food."  
  
"Oh, I'm not all that hungry, Mr. Potter, but thank you." She said, pulling open the door and setting her dish neatly on the counter. "Hey, Potter?" she called.  
  
"Yes?" James answered.  
  
"Does your wing look like ours?" she asked, out of a purely conversational attitude. She sat back down at her place, enjoying the outdoors.  
  
"Pretty much." He answered, buttering his potato.  
  
"Perhaps, Sirius?" Mrs. Potter said.  
  
"Yes?" he answered swallowing loudly the clump of food he had just been chewing.  
  
"I wonder if you would like to show Miss Renton the upstairs wing where you two are sleeping. The view from there is much nicer, especially this time of night." Mrs. Potter said. Sirius looked at her strangely, and so did James.  
  
"Uh, sure." He answered, out of pure amazement. "Shall we? Now?" he asked, turning to Diana for approval.  
  
"Sounds good." She said, shrugging. "I do have to leave soon though. Is that all right? My ride is supposed to come at around nine."  
  
"Of course, Diana." Mrs. Potter answered.  
  
Diana and Sirius got up in unison and went inside the house. They marched upstairs without a word, but turned to the left at the top of the stairs.  
  
"Who are you going to see?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Lucius. He wants me to come over." She said, without enthusiasm.  
  
"Already? It's only the first day." Sirius answered, opening the door to their wing.  
  
"I know." She said, with a chuckle. "He wants me to meet the parents. I'm so nervous-Oh my God." Diana said, looking at the large wing for the first time. "It's so much bigger than ours."  
  
"Well you have the guest one, that's why." Sirius said. "There's the kitchenette there." He pointed to the far right. There stood a stove and an oven, with a counter top. There were stools under it. Everything was carved out of marble, and there was a small refrigerator next to the oven.  
  
"Oh, how fabulous. And there are your rooms there?" she said, running over to where another large door was. This one was opened.  
  
"Yep. Seating area here, then my room on the right, James' on the left." He said.  
  
"Look at this window. It's huge. Draw the curtains so I can see out." She ordered.  
  
"You have to help." He said, grabbing a large, wire-like string from the side of the window. "The other side."  
  
They pulled together and the curtains gave way. There were two, large oak trees framing the window, with the moonlight shining brightly in. The stars were clear and bright in this room. It was like a painting.  
  
"It's like Starry Starry Night in here." She said, in awe. He looked at her with a confused expression. "Van Gough." She said. "One of my favourites. I had it in my room in my old house--" She stopped, and took a breath.  
  
"If you like this, then you should see the balcony." He said.  
  
"Where, through there?" she asked, pointing to the bedrooms.  
  
"Yes." He said, extending his hand. She took it without thinking and followed him. The balcony door was already open and she ran to it.  
  
"Wow." She said. "The moon is huge out here. Look at it. It's almost full."  
  
"Shit." Sirius said, knowing that in a couple of days they would have to make the trip to Remus'. He had completely forgotten about it. "I mean, yea."  
  
"You can see a bunch of constellations from here." She said.  
  
"Can you?"  
  
"Yes. Look there. Oh what is that? I think Professor Sinistra taught us about it. Um..." then she laughed. "That's you." She said.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"That's the dog star. Can't you make it out? Here." She said. "Give me your hand and I'll show you." She took his hand and outlined the constellation for him. All the while he was looking at her hair blowing in the mild wind, and her eyes. The moonlight made them sparkle.  
  
"Oh yea." He said. "And look at the one next to it. That's a female right there." He said.  
  
"Where? A female dog?"  
  
"A bitch." He said.  
  
She started laughing. "So I guess that's me then?" she said. "Makes sense. She doesn't look pleased."  
  
"Do you like it here?" he asked, altering the conversation.  
  
"I love it. And the gardens, have you seen them?" she asked, taking her hand away again. "Breathtaking."  
  
"Oh yea. I like the one with the view though."  
  
"Me too. I loved it. Reminded me of my grandmother. I have to pay her a visit soon." She said, thinking out loud. "Oh and my Aunt too."  
  
"An aunt?"  
  
"Yea. My aunt Ara moved up there years ago. She lives close to my grandmother. She gave me my middle name. She's a squib though. No magic in her. Sad really."  
  
"Why haven't you mentioned her before?" Sirius asked, leaning on the railing.  
  
"Some things, Black, are better left unsaid." She said, more seriously. "And I don't completely trust you."  
  
"Are you joking? You don't have to worry. Men don't gossip." He chuckled.  
  
"They do too. I bet you both talk about us when we're not around. Plotting your little games and exchanging manly stories to boost your egos. It's human nature. People hate uncomfortable silences. You have to fill the air with something."  
  
"Yeah. Why is that?" Sirius said. "We do, do that. It's like, why do we have the need to yap about bullshit in order to be comfortable?"  
  
"Exactly. I think you've really found someone special when you can share one long and comfortable silence, and just.be. Lily and I have that. I'm sure you and Potter do too. I've never had that with a guy though, well, except my dad." Her smile faded, and she looked down at her feet.  
  
"It still upsets you, doesn't it?" Sirius asked, inching close to her.  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked, not looking up.  
  
"Your parents. You loved them very much, didn't you?"  
  
"Of course I did. What kind of a question is that?" she said, with an attitude.  
  
"You can grieve, you know. It's ok to feel sad. It was a real tragedy what happened to you and Lily. I understand-"  
  
"Don't even pretend like you do, because you don't." she spat. "Its my fault Lily is an orphan. She did nothing. They had no reason to die. There was no reason. And when I think about it, it gets me so angry. My dad, my poor dad. He knew nothing of what he was getting himself into, marrying a Figg woman. He was the only one, the only one who ever understood me. He was also the only one I ever listened to. He...he.." she could feel her eyes growing misty, and found it strange she was being so open.  
  
Sirius didn't really know how to react, so he put his hand on her shoulder, and pulled her in an embrace. She felt warm in his arms, and surprisingly good. She didn't cry hard, but a few tears streamed through. She hugged him back.  
  
"This is weird." She said, sniffing. He pulled away first.  
  
"Yea." He said. "Sorry I was just trying to help. I didn't have words or anything." He stuttered.  
  
"No it was good. Thank you. God, you're so different, Black." She said. "I like it. You really are very sweet when you want to be. I never would have known."  
  
"So are you." He said. "And you're pretty as hell when you want to be too."  
  
"You really think I'm pretty?" she said, astonished. "Really?" she sniffed again. "Look at me. I'm a mess right now." She said, rubbing her eyes.  
  
"I'm looking at you, and your beautiful." He said, with absolute seriousness.  
  
Diana couldn't believe it but she was blushing feverishly and smiling like a little girl who had never been paid such a compliment. She went to kiss him on the cheek but he misread her. Instead he went right for her lips and she was startled but didn't pull away. He put his hands on her back and pulled her closer. She opened her mouth for him. This was the tastiest kiss she had felt in a while, and her stomach was tuning. She didn't know if it was from hunger or him. When she realized what was actually happening she threw herself from him and covered her mouth.  
  
"Fuck." She said, feeling she had just committed a sin. She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I-I have to leave. I'm late." She was trying to stop her hands from shaking as she ran from him. He stood there not able to comprehend what had just happened.  
  
"Oh shit." he said, feeling like he had ruined everything.  
  
Diana stopped right before the kitchen in the hallway. He's going to kill me, she thought, and shuddered. He'll know, she figured. Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice. Someone was singing, and it sounded vaguely familiar to her. She tried to listen a bit closer, and she did have to leave, but not yet.  
  
"Think of me. Think of me fondly, when we said goodbye. Remember me, once and a while. Please promise me, you'll try-Harry, stop it." It was Mrs. Potter. Of course, Diana thought. Who else would it be? She heard her lightly slap Mr. Potter and then giggle.  
  
"Don't stop singing, my angel." He said. She chuckled again.  
  
"We never said, our love was evergreen, or as urgently as the sea. There will never be a day when I don't think of you." She sang, before kissing her husband.  
  
"I love you so much, my Angel." He said.  
  
"Me too dear. Now go. You have work to do." She said, sounding more professional ordering him around playfully. He grunted and whined but he went to his office anyway.  
  
"Goodnight love." He said.  
  
"Night. I'll bring you some tea in a moment." She said. Diana was apprehensive in entering the room casually, but before she could decide, it was decided for her. "Come in, Miss Renton." Mrs. Potter said.  
  
Diana whined inwardly but walked in as though she hadn't heard a thing. "My ride will be here in a minute. I just thought I'd come down now. I hope I didn't interrupt anything."  
  
"Oh no. It's just me now. Did Sirius give you a nice tour of the room?" she asked.  
  
"Yea. It was, good, surprisingly." Diana said, clearing her throat. "Perfect, actually."  
  
"Good." Mrs. Potter said, while staring at her. "You know, you look so much like your mother it's frightening." Diana was made uncomfortable once again by the comparison. "That's a good thing Diana. Same hair, and face even. But I can tell something of you dear. You are your father's daughter. That's what she always used to say."  
  
"You think so?" Diana asked.  
  
"I know it. I knew your mother better than anyone, aside from Mark, your father. They were always very proud of you, despite how you were in your blossoming years."  
  
"You've spoken to them recently? She never mentioned a word about you, ever. Well, she did, but only as Mrs. Potter. My Mum referred to you as Angie maybe once. I've also never seen you." Diana said, not meaning it to sound cruel.  
  
"No, she wouldn't have. We wrote letters up until last year. She was very devoted to you. They both were. Her letters consisted mainly of you, things about you. I new when I'd meet you eventually you would be how I pictured. And you are, you really are. That is the highest compliment I can give you, child." Mrs. Potter said.  
  
"I really have to run." Diana said, thinking she would cry again if she stayed in that house another second. "I'll wait outside."  
  
"Whatever you wish, my dear." Mrs. Potter said. "When will you be home?"  
  
"Um.. Tomorrow morning probably. Is that alright?"  
  
"If it is fine with you, then it is fine with me." She answered. Diana nodded and let herself out. When she got outside she felt like she needed to breathe. She took out a cigarette and lit it, waiting. She saw the car come from around the corner, and it stopped in front of the Potter residence, like she knew it would. The back door opened magically and she let herself inside.  
  
"Hi." Lucius said, as the door slammed behind her. He kissed her and pulled her harshly to him. "Miss me?"  
  
All of a sudden Diana forgot everything. She only saw him and his world when she entered that car.  
  
"Dreadfully." She said, and inched closer. Her soul had become two people. It was obvious who she was at that moment.  
  
"How's your stay?" he asked, putting an arm around her shoulder.  
  
"Ugh, incredibly boring. Everyone in my business. Awful." She said, taking out a mirror from her bag and applying the makeup he liked to see her wear.  
  
"I'm sorry, my love. But you're mine for this evening. We shall do whatever you want. We don't even have to go to my house if you don't want to. What do you want?"  
  
"You." She said, crossing her leg over his. He chuckled at her calmly.  
  
"Whatever the lady wants." He said.  
  
"I am no lady." She said, rubbing his thigh, higher and higher, laughing in a tone not her own.  
  
"No. That you are not." He said, and kissed her again. "That's what I love about you."  
  
(I know, very long and lots of set up for not much. Happy Labour Day, thanks for the reviews! Next chapter 2 very important things will happen for our leading ladies. One will be delightful and the other, horrifying. And, just out of curiosity, what novel did I get the 2 names of the house elves from? Depending on how many right answers I get determines how fast I update. I just want to see how many literary scholars there are out there :) oh, and the author too. Have a lovely week!) 


	21. End of the Beginning

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I am so so so so so so so exceedingly, terribly, unforgivably sorry for the ridiculous wait you all have been put through.  I started school, and you know how it is.  Busy, busy, busy.  I did not forget, and I have not died. So, in return I give you the longest chapter I have ever written, that is three months in the making.  There are several sections.  Read at your leisure.  There is a flashback and a continuation of what's happened. The end is PG-15, sort of. Blah blah blah, stop reading this, and go on. It's going to take you forever anyways.  I apologize in advance for the French.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**I.** A brief flashback…………

"Go on…go on chéri. You can do it.  Faster darling, pedal faster…….that's a good girl.  Pedal to Mummy now…….Go--oh! Not too fast………"

_"Mark,_ _L'enfant est bien. La partir seul_. (The child is fine. Let her be.)"

_" Je sais, Grandmère, je sais._ (I know, Grandma, I know.)" he said, and sighed.  He continued to watch his daughter nervously as his wife stood a good twenty feet away from him, waiting to catch the little, unsure toddler.  His wavy, blonde hair was blowing in the subtle wind, and his almost black eyes grew worried and protective.

Mid way through the child teetered and swerved.  Mark Renton bit his knuckles as he watched his daughter fumble with the pedals, and then lean far over to the right, falling.  Before he could run to her, a woman, who was watching too, came to her rescue and caught her.  The little girl let out a frightened shriek, and then hugged the woman who was her rescuer.  The girl's mother and father were at her side now, touching her hair and peeling her away from the woman, who stood up with the child in her arms.  Her grandmother remained where she was sitting, on a chair on the side of the street.

_"Thank you, Angie."_ Alison Renton said as she put her daughter back on the ground.  

_"Well we wouldn't want the little one to scratch her pretty face, now, would we?"_ Angie said, leaning down and lightly poking the little girl's nose.  The little girl squinted and rubbed it, and then clung onto her mother's leg.

Alison fiddled with the girl's hair while she turned her attention to her husband.  _"I told you she wasn't ready for a tricycle."_

"_Well, she is three now, darling."_ Mark said, defending himself.  _"I thought she could handle it."_

_"Well, she can't. She is too young."_ Alison said, and reached down.  She picked her daughter up with both hands and drew her to her chest.  The child then began to play with her mother's hair, the same as hers, and started to twirl it between her own fingertips.

_"I think this little girl can do anything she puts her mind too."_ Angie said.  _"She's a little spitfire."_

_"See."_ Mark said, looking at his wife, who rolled her eyes back at him. _"You could've done it, couldn't you, mon petit chéri_(my little darling)_?  You underestimate her, Ali."_

The little girl nodded her head and smiled at her father.   Then she wrapped one arm over her mother's neck, while resting her head on her shoulder.  She propped it up again when she saw a man walking with a small boy.  They seemed to be headed for the small group of people who were standing in the middle of the street.

_"Bon jour, Isabel."_ The man said, as he walked past the old woman.

_"Bon jour."_ The boy echoed, as he waved at her.  She smiled and waved back.

_"Bon jour, Monsieur James."_ She nodded her head at him, while fanning herself.  _"Angelina, votre fils est ici_ (your son is here.)"

She turned and waved them over. _"Would you like to see your little cousin, dear?"_ Angie asked the little girl.  Harold Potter kissed his wife's cheek while James, the little boy, reached his arms up, begging to be embraced by his mother.  She picked up her son gladly, and gave him raspberry kisses all over his slightly plump cheeks.  He giggled in response.

_"Did you boys have a nice walk?"_ Alison asked, as she tried to untie the child's fingers from her hair.  _"Isn't Monmartre beautiful this time of year?"_

_"I love it.  It's so peaceful.  James seemed to be enjoying himself, but he got a little restless towards the way home.  He needs a nap." _Harold said.

_"My Jamie wasn't restless. No.  He doesn't need one. He slept all morning practically.  Do you want to play, sweetheart?"_ Angie said, as the boy began to fidget.

_"Let's put the children down."_ Alison said, kneeling closer to the floor.  _"My mother in law will watch them.  Est-cela bien, Isabel _(Is that alright)_?_

_"Oui. Je les regarderai._ (Yes, I will watch them)" She answered, getting off of the chair. _"Venir ici, enfants_. (Come here little ones)" she beckoned, and the children scurried into Isabel Renton's arms.  She took each of their hands and began walking in the opposite direction, each of the children pulling her closer to the ground.

_"She doesn't have to watch them, Ali." _Mark said, wrapping his arm around her.

_"Does she mind?"_ Angie asked, looking back over her shoulder.  _"She doesn't have to."_

_"Je veux le faire_ (I want to do it.)" Isabel called back.  "_Je les prendrai à mon vieux travail et leur montre le domaine_.(I will take them to my old job and show them around.)"

_"I don't understand."_ Angie said, looking at Mark.

_"It's a joke of hers. Pay no attention."_ He answered.

"_Bien, bébés_.(fine, babies)" Isabel whispered. "_Vous jamais avez été au Moulin Rouge_ (Have you ever been to the Moulin Rouge)?

_"What?" _Harold asked, surprised at what he overheard.__

_"Je plaisante _(I jest)_, 'Arold_ (Harold)_. Vous ne devez pas apprendre à me prendre si sérieusement. _(You must learn not to take me so seriously.)

He nervously laughed while his wife poked him in the ribs.  _"Well, how was I supposed to know that?" _he said.

_"Ugh, you newlyweds and your little phobias."_ Mark said.  _"Remember that, Ali?"_

_"All too well, my dear.  How's the move coming Ange?" _she said.

"Eh, not that great."

_"It's going fine."_ Harold answered.  _"We're just….adjusting."_

_"Well, that's what happens when you're running for Minister of Magic.  It's a very long process, and you'll be lucky if you get in within the next five years, what with the current one saying he's going to retire any day now, for the past two and a half years." _Alison said. 

_"Minister of Magic…."_ Mark repeated.  He laughed under his breath until Alison looked at him with transgression.  _"Sorry….it's just a funny concept.  One I am still getting used to."_

_"I don't know if I want to even do that anymore.  I'd rather just live where we are, you know. And personally, I think headmaster Dumbledore would be much better suited, but, oddly, he doesn't want it.  Hey Mark, do you need any extra partners at the practice?"_ Harold said.

"Well, unfortunately the work that I do, requires you to go to Law School.  No offence."

Angie laughed.

_"None taken.  Say, let's get a drink. Mark? You up to it?"_ Harold said, completely altering his train of thought.

_"Is it a drink I can pronounce? None of this Butter-beer or fire-vodka nonsense?"_ he chuckled.__

_"Can you pronounce Scotch?"_

_"I can try."_ He said.  _"Brilliant.  Ladies, loves, we bid you good evening."_

_"Don't come back too late now, or we'll find other handsome men to replace you."_ Alison said, flipping her dark hair back.  Then she hooked arms with her sister and steered her to the direction of their Monmartre summerhouse, which belonged to her husband's grandmother.  _"Alone, finally Angie." _She sighed.

_"We haven't been alone together in years."_ Angie agreed.  _"Or burden free.  Not since Mum and Dad—"_

_"Oh hush with that.  You know that you could have always stayed with me.  The way she reacted was completely uncalled for, with the both of us.  No wonder Arabella wants to stay unmarried."_ Alison said, as the stopped in front of a pair of swings that looked over the whole of Paris.

_"I know.  She is happy in her solitude.  But, it's not your fault you wanted to marry a Muggle, just as I could have done nothing about the pregnancy.  We choose our own paths in this life, you know.  We deserve happiness, and so do our children." _Angie said, as she plopped down on one of the swings.__

_"Of course.  I would give my life for my daughter.  I'll make sure though, that she doesn't end up like the rest of us.  I'll make sure she stays right, or else she will have me to answer to.  And if not…..I hope she has the wits to do it herself, and with your help too."_

_"I will do what I can."_ Angie said.  _"And when she is of age, Hogwarts will take care of her."_

_"That's what I'm afraid of.  I will not always be there, especially with the new Ministry job I'm working on.  She is young yet.  What if she's a Slytherin?"_ Alison became nervous now.

_"She is a Ravenclaw, just like the rest of us.  Don't be rash."_ Angie said.  _"And you will of course tell her that Slytherins are trouble—"_

_"Well that didn't work too hot for us at first, either."_ Alison chuckled.  They grew silent for a while, and the creaking of the swings could be distinctly heard, even through the rustling of the leaves. 

_"Will you write to me when I move to Wales?"_ Angie asked.

Alison smiled.  _"Every chance I get, little sister."_ She kissed her forehead.  _"Not to worry.  We will always be in touch, one way or another.  I will be here for you, always.  Remember that, Angie, even if it may not seem like it." _

_"I'm going to take your word on that." _She said, taking her sister's hand.  

_"And we will always be sisters……."_ Alison said.  _"Always…….no matter what…….in the next ten years……..and forever………"_

_"Or at least until our bodies give out."_ Angie joked, as they watched the sunrise over the horizon.

**II.**

"Good morning, children." Angelica Potter said as she saw them come down sporadically from the stairs and into the kitchen.  She was setting the breakfast table half-heartily and mechanically, putting the eggs and the French toast exactly where they should be.  Harold Potter was sitting at the table already, drinking his cup of morning coffee and reading the paper.  

"Morning, Mum." James said through his yawn.  

"Good morning, Mrs. Potter.  This looks delicious." Lily said, trying to make herself as neat as possible and tidying her pyjamas absentmindedly with her hands.  

"Did you all sleep well?" Angie asked, pouring pumpkin juice into tiny glasses around the table.  

"Very well, thank you." Lily said.  "It's just so…. comfortable and……big." She chuckled at the way she sounded.  Mrs. Potter heard it too and smiled at the child's shyness.

"Where's Sirius?" Harold asked, when he noticed he wasn't there.

James shrugged.  "He was out on the balcony last night for about twelve thousand years.  I guess he's still in his room."

"Hmm.  That's odd.  He's not one to miss a meal—"

"I'm not missing a meal." Sirius said, groggily shuffling in the kitchen.  "I'm right on time." He said, as he almost tripped over one of the house elves.

"Ah, there you are, dear.  Come and sit down." Angie said, smiling.  "You look tired. Late night last night?"

"Not really, no." he said, in an annoyed tone.  "I just…….couldn't sleep." He said, taking a pause to yawn quite loudly.  

"I wonder why." James said under his breath, but everyone at the table still heard him.  Sirius sneered at him, telling him that the comment was incredibly uncalled for.  

"Shut up." He said, sitting down and pilling a trough of eggs onto his plate.  

"It's your funeral." James said.

"I heard that." Sirius answered.

"I know you did." James said, stuffing a piece of French toast into his mouth.

"Boys…." Lily and Angie said at the same time.  

"Sorry Mrs. P." Sirius said.

"Quite alright." She answered, eyeing him suspiciously.  "Now eat up."

Just then a jet-black town car slowly drove up to the entrance of the Potter Mansion.  A very worn-out young woman opened the door.

"Wait—" she heard, as a forceful arm jerked her back.  She squeaked in pain.

"I'm tired." She whispered.  Her hair was messy and her clothes were wrinkled.  She put her hand over her shoulder where he had grabbed her.  "Please…..I'm late.  They'll be expecting me for breakfast."

"What does that matter?  They know you're here with me." Lucius said, as he softened his grip.

"Well you can't stick around.  You are not welcome here." She said, pulling his hand off of her.

"And you are?" he chuckled.

"What does that mean?" she said, with one foot out the door.

"Come on.  You know you're just the tag along.  They don't really want you here."

"They're nice people.  They've been everything but good to me so far." She defended.

"Because you're the best friend of his Mudblood girlfriend." He said, reclining back.  "They're just pretending to make you feel welcome.  They probably don't care if you ever come back, really."

"That's not very nice." She said.

"What? It's the truth.  It's not like they're your family.  They're Lily's potential family, but they are not yours.  You have no family."

"I am well aware of that." She spat.  "Now you are keeping me.  Drive." She said, and got out.

"Remember, Arabella," he started, and she turned again.  "Remember your place in this world, and with me.  Understand?  Don't go creating a world that doesn't want you.  Your place is here." He said.

"I know that." She said, although rather reluctantly.  "But I can have friends, can't I?" she said, becoming annoyed.

"If you want them to turn their backs on you, then fine.  You are only setting yourself up for disappointment.  But remember that I am the only one who cares about what happens to you.  You can confide in me, and in Bellatrix if you wish."

"I realize that." She sighed.  "Thank you.  But Lily will always be there—"

"No, she won't.  Lily will marry Potter.  I think we all know that.  Then you'll be alone.  You don't want to be alone, do you?" he said, with a menacing tone.

She shook her head.  "No." she whispered.  

"Good, and you won't be, if you stick by me and do as I tell you." He said.  "Now you can go.  I will see you soon. We are having a gathering tonight at my home, with some friends.  Come by in late afternoon, alright?"

"Fine.  Bye." She said.

"Oh and one more thing." He said, reaching for the door handle.  She remained turned.  "Remember that Mr. Potter, the Minister, hushed the reports on your parents deaths to save face.  He also did nothing to prevent it.  And look at where he resides, in his comfortable estate, while you are now poor and orphaned.  You are a charity case, a repentance, because he is the reason you have no parents."

All she heard after was the sound of a car driving away.  She closed her eyes and opened them again.  She walked up towards the door and to the side of the house.  As she neared she could smell the breakfast.  It woke her up, in a way, but she did not forget what he had said.

"Good morning, everyone." She said, as she slipped in the back door.

"Good morning, dear." Mr. Potter said, with a smile.  "My, my, don't you look tattered—"

"Harry." Angelica said, slapping his shoulder.  "Sit down, dear.  I've just made breakfast."

"Thank you." She said.  She noticed all eyes on her as she slid out her chair and took the only available spot, across from Sirius.  Lily raised her eyebrow, but continued eating, while James and Sirius avoided all eye contact, pretending she wasn't even there.

She looked around at all the faces, ignoring her it seemed, and she felt a sense of guilt, because of Sirius, and awkwardness, because of James.  Maybe I really don't belong here, she thought, and slid out from under the table.

"Diana, you've hardly touched—" Mrs. Potter started.

"I'm not hungry just now, thank you." She said, and ran upstairs.

Lily slid out after her and followed through the corridor and up the stairs to their quarters.  She walked with a sort of unsure determination, and as she threw the door open she found Diana sprawled out on her bed.

"Late night, huh?" Lily said, leaning against the bedpost with her arms crossed.

"Just a bit." Diana answered.  "You?"

"No." Lily sighed.  "Not at all."

"Sorry to hear it.  Why don't you just do it already?  What are you waiting for?"

"Excuse me?" Lily said, squinting her eyes at her. 

"Sleep with him already.  At least it'll shut his trap."  She said, bringing her fingers up to her temples.  

Lily sat down beside her, looking her square in the eye.  "You are such a whore." She said, laughing.  The strait face she was aiming for missed terribly. 

Diana only cracked a smile in return.  "Yea….well……so you tell me."

"I'm only joking, darling."  She said, putting her hand on Diana's head.

"I figured.  I was only saying if you wanted to.  It's just an annoying burden, being a virgin, at least that's how I thought of it."

"I'm not like you, Diana, not anymore.  I can't dispose of dates anymore.  There is too much of me in this relationship.  He really cares for me." She said, distantly.  "And, you know, I'm a little scared.  It's still the same feelings, sort of."

"Come off it, Lil'.  The guy likes and respects you; he's got a nice ass, and has money.  What's the big altercation here?"

"Pride, self respect, a little dignity perhaps.  How did you become this way?  You know, I remember your mother, and she taught you that shit like this was wrong—"

"Don't you _ever_ talk about my mother, Lily, do you hear?  Not even you."  She said, venomously.  "My mother had no right to give me advice.  No one does."

"But, I love you.  So why not listen to me—"

"Why don't you watch your boyfriend to see if some other piece of ass gets in your shadow?  And then where would you be?  Abstinence ruins relationships.  No sex before marriage, hah!  This is life, Lily.  It's the 70's.  Grow up."

"Did he tell you that?" Lily said, shocked and appalled.

She chuckled out of frustration.  "No, as a matter of fact.  I occasionally have my own ideas."

"Well, it's a fucking stupid one."  She said.  "One of many that you've had lately."

"What the hell does that mean?" she said, turning on her front on the bed.

"Just, let me get this strait, Diana, and give me a strait answer."

"If I must."

"Ok.  What the hell have you done?"

"I don't follow." Diana said, with her face buried in blankets.

"Last night, when I went to look for you, I found Sirius instead." Lily said.

"And?" she asked, turning her face towards her.

"What have you done to him?" Lily said.

"What? Nothing.  Why?" she said, leaning on her elbow.  "What did he say?"

"He didn't have to say anything.  Now he and James are both furious with you. And I'm not thrilled either."

"Well, it's none of James' business, is it?  Honestly, can no one keep their nose out of anything around here?" she said, propping herself up.

"It was a mistake, what you did.  You can't lead him on like that—"

"Is that what he told you?" Diana said, angrily.  "He kissed me!" she said, pointing her hand at her heart.  "I did nothing to provoke him!"

"Well, you must have done _something_." Lily said, uncrossing her arms.

"This is so unfair." Diana said, shaking her head.  "Why do you always take his side?"

"I am on no one's side." Lily said, putting her hands up.

"Clearly you are." She said, clenching her teeth.  "Look at you.  You are just another Marauder chick.  It's pathetic." She said, maliciously.  "All you talk about is Potter.  All you think about is Potter.  Should I sleep with him?  Should I dump him?  He cares about me." She said, with a higher pitched voice and exaggerated movements.  "What happened to my best friend, my sister?  You used to be fun and cynical.  Now you're too preoccupied with the butterflies in your stomach to think strait.  It makes me sick."

"You shouldn't talk." Lily said, before pausing.  "At least I'm not a Death Eater groupie." She said, in the same tone.

Diana got up from the bed and looked Lily square in the eye.  "You want to say that again,_ Evans_?" she said, with evil behind her eyes.

"Oh, look at this now.  _Arabella's_ offended." She said, mocking her displeasure, until she saw a bit of her shoulder through her shirt.  It was not the same colour as her skin, but darker, bruised.  Lily jerked her shirt down to see it clearer.  Diana whacked her hand away.

"You have no right!"  she screamed.  "You—you don't know." She said, covering her injury.  "It was an accident.  He's just—a little—rough."

Revolted, Lily knew she wouldn't get anywhere.  Blindness was ruining their friendship. "I'm so sorry.  Did I get too close for comfort…….._Death Eater_—"

***SMACK*** Lily gasped and clutched her cheek in shock and repulsion.  Diana gasped too and put her hand over her mouth.  She couldn't believe she had done it either.  Then she got back into character, as she walked emotionlessly passed her.

She stopped when she got to the door.  "You watch what you say, Evans." She said.  "None of this is your business."

"Run then." Lily said.  "After all, it is the second thing you're best at…….whore."

"No.  You've chosen denial instead.  Believe what you will then, but at least I know why I'm here." She whispered, and walked out.

Lily just stood there in utter disbelief and confusion.  She didn't know what that meant, but she knew that woman wasn't her friend anymore.  She blamed herself for it, and at such a young age, wasn't able to fix it.  She didn't cry or complain out loud.  She didn't say anything.  What could she have said?  There were no words she could say to soothe anything, even the aching of her own heart.

What she really wanted was to make love to James.  She burned for it, but there were other things that got in the way.  Religion was one.  When she was a young girl she had been raised Catholic.  Her parents were Catholic.  She went to parochial school the first ten years of her life, where sermons of chastity were drilled into her brain.  The second thing was, what would her parents think? They weren't alive, but could they see her? Did they know what she was up to with these thoughts and desires?  She was a woman now, yet still a girl, just as her friends were still girls, masquerading as experienced women by the age of 16.  Nicole and Diana both were the same in that sense.  Nicole did it to defy her family, while Diana did it to defy herself.  

Am I ready, she thought?  Do I love him?  "Oh my God," she said out loud at what used to be a ridiculous thought.

Then, like a breath of fresh air James entered the room.  She didn't notice him at first until he put his arms around her.  She exhaled deeply as he did this, and put her arms around his.

Then she remembered herself.  "I don't know what to do." Lily sighed.

"It's not your problem." He said, and kissed her pink cheek.  "Let her do what she wants."

"Oh her, right.  I suppose." Lily said.

"You worry too much.  What do you want, Lily?  This is your life too." James said, unwrapping himself.

Lily thought for a minute, staring at the ceiling.  Then she took his hand and intertwined their fingers.  "To be happy.  That's all I want." She said, and shrugged.  Then she let go and walked over to the balcony, in the cool, crisp morning air.  "And you?"

"Oh, I don't know." He said, following her out.  "Same I guess.  It's a simple request."

Lily nodded.  "Yea….." she drifted off in her own world for a second, and then she was struck with a thought.  "James?"

"Yea?" 

"Why….why is it that…….what makes men so—so…….juvenile?" she asked, grasping the railing.  

"Uh……how do you mean?" he said, scratching his head.

"Is it really that simple?" she asked, looking up at the trees.

"Is what simple? Lily, you're losing me." He chuckled.

"Sex." She spit out.  "Is everything always about that? I mean, it causes nothing but problems, and creates these awful attachments between human beings that cause pain and heartache.  What's the point of it all?"

"Speaking from personal experiences or abstractly?" he asked.  _Please say abstractly_, he thought.

"Abstractly." She said, noticing his change in attitude.

"Oh…uh…..well……it is a necessity to procreate." He said.

"I don't mean that." She said, dismissing it.  Then she hesitated.  "Like, take you, for instance.  What's the point?  Do you really need it that badly?"

"Do we have to talk about this now?" he asked, uneasily.  

"No. We don't have to." She said.  "I just want to know.  What makes me so special?"

"I have an idea." He said, hastily.  "Quidditch.  Let's play Quidditch.  We have this field close by that Muggles don't know about—"

"James, I want to talk about this—"

"Oh, we can talk after, huh?  What do you say?" he said, taking a small, golden snitch out of his pocket.  "Perhaps Padfoot will join us." He said, walking so quickly away that she had to almost jog to keep up with him.  "And we'll owl Moony and Wormtail too.  You can watch. I'll owl Nicky too—"

"James?" she said, impatiently.

"Yeah?"

She sighed, losing yet again.  "Nothing.  Never mind."

**III.**

"Okay, Padfoot.  I'll be seeker today." James said, mounting his broom.

"Yea. Whatever.  I don't care." Sirius answered.  "Hey, what are we supposed to do until Moony and Wormtail get here? We can't play with three people."

"We'll just play around." Lily said, putting her hair up in a ponytail.  "No positions.  I'll be keeper, and we'll just play."

"Alrighty then." James said, pushing himself off of the ground.  The others joined him in seconds. 

They threw the quaffle around at first, passing and scoring.  Lily let some pass by for sort, and so the boys would not get bored and want to quit.  She liked her temporary distraction.  

After about an hour they saw three people jogging towards the field from a distance.  They were each carrying a broom, so it was assumed that the three were Nicole, Remus and Peter.  They waved them over, remaining in the air.  

The three shot up immediately, and then there were enough to have small teams.  

"Nicky!" Lily said, so relieved to see her, even though it had only been a little more than a day since they last spoke.  "Ugh, thank god.  Hey, Remus."

"Hey Lily.  Guys." He said.  Peter just smiled.

James announced himself seeker, again, while Sirius remained beater, with Lily and Nicole as chasers.  Remus was the keeper.  Peter played the other beater.  They decided to keep it relatively one-sided, playing simply for the enjoyment of Quidditch.

And so they played, switching positions, scoring, laughing, and joking with one another.  They each forgot their discontents, however trivial or complex they were.  They played well into the afternoon, until the air became crisp.  The wind began to sting, and as the lights dimmed over Britain, they called it a day.

Panting and hungry the girls dismounted first.

"Want to walk back now?" Lily asked.

"Sure." She answered.  "Great game, huh?"

"Ugh.  I needed that."

"Yep." Nicole said, panting.  "Hey, Lil.  You look, well, not rested."

"Really, well. Everyone is so complicated here." She said.  "Want some food?"

"Nah." Nicole answered.  "Complicated?" she chuckled.  She looked at her watch.  "Ana here?"

"Which one?" Lily said, tempestuously.  

"Ah.  Never mind then." She said.  "So….how are….things?" Nicole said, insinuating something.

"Why does everyone ask me that?" Lily said, frazzled.  "No, nothing's happened yet.  Now please don't bring it up again."

"Mm hmm." She said, and noticed Lily's cheeks in the sunset.  "What happened to your face?" Nicole said, inching closer to her, examining her cheek.  "Did he—" she gasped and stepped back.

"No, no, no." Lily said, breathlessly.  "Diana, the cunt did this to me."

"Lily—" Nicole said, hoping no one heard, and no one did.  The boys were still frolicking on the field.

"I have a dirty mouth, and I don't care." She said.

"We have to go and find her."

"You can.  I don't want to." Lily said.

"Fine." She said.

"You look odd." Lily noticed, suddenly.  "Have you been gaining weight?" she said.

"Thank you, dear.  I thought so." She said, sarcastically.  "Keep it to yourself."

"It wasn't an insult.  It suits you." Lily said.  

"Thanks." Nicole said, and blushed.  "I'm going to go find her." She said, as they neared the house.

"Oh.  Unbelievable." She said.  "If she slaps you too, don't say I didn't warn you."

**IV.**

She didn't run away.  She ran to the garden instead.  There, smoking her cigarette and singing to herself she tried to reason the mixed up thoughts in her head.  She wished there was someone she could talk to.  She missed her father.  He was always the one to protect her.  Now, _he_ was right. She was alone.  She didn't know how long she'd been there, or even what she was thinking about.

"_Wishing I cold hear your voice again, knowing that I never will…….dreaming of you won't help me to do, all that you dreamed I could_……..damn it." she said, as she burned her arm a bit from her cigarette.  

She had to talk to Sirius.  She felt she had to.  He was angry with her, inexplicably.  It was his fault anyway, she thought.  She was still upset with Lily, though.  She didn't want to go back to the house just yet.  Then she reasoned that she was being childish and impractical. It was raining in Paris today, anyway.  Had she seen the sun rise and fall in this place? Does time even exist here, she thought?

She was close to leaving when she heard a clearing of the throat behind her.  She turned quickly, startled by the interruption.  Then she saw who it was.

"I'm not going back there!" Diana spat, while Nicole remained a good fifteen feet away.

"How come?" she asked.  Neither of them had said hello.

"You all hate me.  That's why." She said, angrily.

"It's late, sweetheart.  It's almost dark.  Lily is furious, Sirius won't speak—"

"I don't give a bloody fuck!" she screamed.  

"Well you should!" Nicole yelled back.  "You don't push away the people who love you."

"And who, my dear Nicole, might that be?  This is all a façade." She said.  "It's a fucking …….._Carnivale_."

"Well it's better than the real world." Nicole said.

"It is the real world, hence the disgusting contradiction.  Our life is a paradox, and not a humorous one at that." Diana said, offering Nicole a cigarette.  She refused it.  "Not anymore."

"Life is drama.  What can you do?" Nicole said, flightily.  There was a pause, and an exhaling from Diana.

"Nic?"

"Yea?"

"I think—um—I think I'm going to leave." She said.  "I think it's best."

"Huh? Why? Where would you go?" she asked, astonished.

"I don't know.  I hate this. I hate all of you." She said, and by her tone, Nicole knew she meant it, and felt hurt.  "You have no idea, no idea at all what it is like to be me.  You're all so stupid I can't even stand it anymore."

"Well, that's lovely." Nicole said.  "You know, I came here to talk sense into you.  But I see now that's impossible.  I needed to tell you something, but you won't let me."

"You never insinuated it.  Well, what is it? I can still listen." She said, reclining back on the wall.

"Alright, but you must promise you'll keep it a secret.  You wont tell anyone."

"Uh huh." She said, carelessly.  

"Not Remus, or Sirius or anyone."

"Yep, and?" Diana said, motioning with her hands for her to continue.  

"I can't tell Lily—"

"Christ! Spit it out!" she said.

"Fine, fine." She said, and drew herself closer, so that what she was about to say was in her earshot alone.  "Well, you know how Remus and I have been getting, well, close lately?"

"Yea, and?" Diana said, sounding bored.  "What are you sick or something? Is Herpes spreading, or maybe Gonorrhoea? Or I know. Is lycanthorpy spreading? Remus could be a werewolf for all we know.  Should we make a public service announcement?  Notify possible victims?" she said, jesting.

"No, no." Nicole said, less than amused.  "Nothing like that."

"Then what?  Are you pregnant or something?" she said, laughing.

Nicole looked at the floor, and then put her hand on her stomach.  Diana looked at her, wide eyed, and Nicole nodded.  "Oh no." she said.  Nicole nodded again, and then sniffled, looking away.  

"No.  I was kidding.  Oh, man, Christ.  Are—are you sure?" she asked, tenderly now.

She nodded again, unable to make eye contact.

"Holy, Fortuna.  What is the world coming too? The Virgin Mary having a baby."

"Don't make jokes." Nicole said, growing weaker.  "And don't use Christianity and Paganism in the same sentence please."

"Well, honey, what are you going to do?" she said, exasperatedly.

"That's why I told you.  What should I do?" she said, crouching on the floor.

"Whoa.  This is big.  This is really, really big." She said.  The stopped to think for a minute, and then joined Nicole on the floor.  "You—um—well—"

"What?"

"I don't want to say it."

"I can take it." Nicole said.

"You have to get rid of it." Diana said, slowly, but with emphasis.

"What?  No!" she said, shooting back upwards.  "I will not! I'm not like, like—you!"

"This has nothing to do with me!" she screamed back.  "This has to do with your lack of contraception knowledge.  You asked me—"

"And I guess I got what I wanted." Nicole said.  "I can't just abort life."

"Well, what if this life is going to ruin yours?" she said, bitterly.  "I wouldn't want it to live."

"You are heartless!"

"I am _sensible_!" she said, standing up to look face to face with her. "Don't ask a strait question if you don't expect a strait answer."

Nicole turned to leave.  Her eyes were glassy and cold as she looked back at Diana.  "Go ahead." Diana said.  "Leave.  Go bother Lily with your lack of consideration.  I am in no mood for this."

Nicole left, still numbed from shock and repugnance.  

Diana remained standing, feeling more worthless than ever.  Diana felt her chest heave and her eyes fill with tears, but she didn't cry.  "Well, I guess that's it." she said.

"What's it?  You're not really giving up, are you?" Sirius said.  She said nothing, but made it clear that she was startled.  Or was it pleasantly surprised?   "Pretty, no?" he said, pointing to the view.  "A bit dreary today, but pretty."

"All the lights are still on." She said.  "And you can hear the music a bit, from that café over there."

"Yea.  You and Nic have a tiff now too?" he asked.

"I am in a tiff with everyone, it seems." She said looking him up and down.  "Including you.  What do you want? Did you come here to provoke me, like everyone else?"

"Not in the least.  So, have a good time?"  he asked, shuffling his feet towards her.

"What do you mean? When?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"You went out last night.  I'm enquiring as to how it went." He said.

"Oh." She said.  She had forgotten it for a time.  "Fine." She said.  "Normal."

"What is normal exactly?"

"Why do you care?" she spat.

"Why shouldn't I care?"

"Oh, what is this?" she said, pocking him lightly in the chest, making him step back.  "Why are you being so nice?  You turn the house against me and then you act like nothing's happened.  The rudeness at breakfast--" she said, through her teeth.

"Hey, hold on a tic." He said, grabbing her shoulders.  "No need to get confrontational.  I'm just asking.  No one is against you, least of all me."

"You think you're being suave don't you.  Do you think it's funny, being all sweet to me and all? I don't deserve it or anything.  I have never been nice to you, so why all of a sudden the cuteness, the attractiveness, the wanting to be with me all the time, the—the-"

In a manner of seconds she was breathing into his mouth and taking gasping breaths into his lips.  Her back was against the wall, with her hands on top of his, which were around her waist.   He took her hands and put them above her head, pressing against the wall.

"Stop, stop, stop….." she moaned as he bit into her neck.  "Stop!" she began to pant, and he let go of her.  For a while he just looked at her, first with desire and then interest.   "You can't do that."

He backed away, frustrated.  "Why?"

"Because you could be killed for that, that's why." She said, matter-of-factly. 

He shook his head and started to laugh.  "Oh, Diana.  You are just so…….ignorant sometimes."

"Oh?  Please, Black.  Don't fuck with what you don't know.  I am no more ignorant than you are honest."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I am not uninformed, and you don't tell the truth."  She said, searching her pockets for another cigarette.  "I am many things, but I am not a liar."

He started stuttering, and waving his hands in the air, suggesting he had never heard a more ludicrous thought in his whole life.

"It's alright." She said, finding one and lighting it.  "Deny it."  She began to sway because of the Parisian music emanating through the little garden.  He just stood there, and began to watch her.  "But tell me, why are you here?"

"Huh?"

"Why don't you stay with your family?" she said, leaning against the railing, clasping it tightly as she propped herself up on it.

"I don't have a family." He said, bitterly.  "You should shut up about things like that." He said, folding his arms and drawing nearer to her.

"Hmm, is that so?" she chuckled.  "And that wasn't even a good lie.  I would know."

"Stop it."

"Oh." She said, and stopped laughing.  "This is making you uncomfortable, I see." She said, as she began circling the little garden, running her hands against the wall.  "Your brother says hello."

"What?"

"Regulus.  He told me to tell you hello for him.  He found it quite interesting that I knew you."

"And where in the hell did you meet _him_?" he asked.

"You know, he's just a kid.  I thought he was older, but no.  Fascinating, isn't it Black.  You two are so different—"

"I can't believe you're doing this."  He said, trying to forget his emotions.

She stopped for a moment, and her innocence returned.  "Doing what?  I'm just saying--"

"You—you are a—a—I don't know what.  You're like a virus.  No, a disease."  He spat.  "You know what, Renton?  Forget this.  I don't need to tell you anything.  I can't stand this, when you're like this.  This—brick wall.  What is wrong with you?  Is this your idea of a chat, or perhaps you thought I'd find that funny?  I know perfectly well where my brother is going and who his friends are.  I am just disgusted that you are one of them." He said.  "You tire me, Renton."

She was left alone, then, in the rain.  Maybe that's just how I am, she thought.  A brick wall for people to bang.  She laughed.  Well, I am clever at least, she thought.  That could not be taken away, at least not by any man.  She decided to stay there, looking at the City of Lights, when there was so much darkness in their world.  It was sort of a contradiction of sorts, where magic and reality worked together, and sometimes interchangeably.   

She felt enraged, the melancholic, and then vengeful, but towards what? She made her decision then to leave, and she told herself, to never look back.

**V.**

 "Something the matter, dear?" Angie asked Lily as she set up the dinner platters with the house elves.  "How was Quidditch?"

"Oh, amazing.  Well, the field was.  The game was fun too.  I think the boys are still there."

"Yes.  Sirius and my son have been acting strange all morning.  Men.  Unbelievable." 

"Mm.  You're right." She shrugged.  "Can I ask you a question?"

"Does it have anything to do with cooking or contraception?"

"Uh…no, not really."  She said, wondering what that could have meant.

"Oh good." She said, facing her, and leaning on the counter.  "I know way too much about those things and find them incredibly dull." 

"Um….ok, but I want to ask you a question about James.  Well, not really, more about his father."

"My husband?  Well sure.  Go ahead."

"What was he like, you know, when he was young?" she asked.  Angie looked confused, and leaned farther back.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, was he the stereotypical man?" she asked.

"Has my son been pressuring you, Lily?  I've heard stories.  I am not stupid.  I know full well we was with Narcissa Black for a few months this year, and that he practically ruined her--" she said, in such short a breath Lily could hardly comprehend it.

"How did you know about that?" Lily said, grabbing her chest.  "Um, yes.  She was—well—she did not take it well."

"His dad was the same way.  He loved me.  He really did, but the love I have for him now came later.  It's hereditary, I think, to love your husband after you are married.  It was the same with all of us." She said, with a sarcastic realism Lily could not quite place.  "It was my own fault, what happened, and all I have to say is wait until you are ready.  Do you love my son, Lily? Do you love James?"

"I—don't know." She said.  "Things have changed so much.  Everyone has changed.  James is so—I'm not sure." Lily kept stuttering her words, while Angie smiled at her untainted innocence.  "And I'm a kid.  I'm a stupid kid, and you said yourself you didn't love your husband—"

"Hold on.  I love my husband.  I live for him.  And, I know this must be odd considering I am his mother, and I am so young, thank god.  James is a good boy.  He is a boy, however, which means you are slightly more intelligent than he.  My mother always used to say that, love is a matter of chemistry, and sex is a matter of physics.  Both have different and rather difficult formulas, and some have multiple answers.  And they arise more questions than answers.  But it all comes down to one thing.  Are you prepared to handle either of them?"

"I was never good at science, Mrs. Potter."  Lily said, puzzled. 

"The point is that sex is much more then sex, and if you are having it, think about what you're doing.  Just don't get hurt." She said, and walked outside into the moonlight.  Lily still stood there, perplexed and embarrassed.  "That wasn't even my original question." She said.****

**VI.**

He was home, and was there when the door was answered right behind a little house elf that wore only a pillowcase.  The tall, majestic building seemed unreal to her, and looked like a dreary forgotten haunted house on the outside, and dim lighting on the inside.  Perhaps for the muggles, she thought.  No one in his or her right mind would by this house.  Her eyes were wet and eyeliner ran down the side of her cheeks, making her look melancholically beautiful.  She was nervous, but she had made her decision.

"Darling." He said at her drained appearance.  "Come here.  Come inside." He sounded confused to her, or was that because it was raining outside?

As soon as the door was shut she let loose and wept on his fine woven carpet.  She saw him in the dim light, gorgeous, dangerous.  Was this salvation?  She clutched him tightly.  She crouched to the ground when her knees gave way, and he knelt down next to her.  He took her hand and embraced her.

"Oh, now, now, love.  Now, now, love." He kept repeating, as his fingers made their way to the buttons of her blouse.  "It will be alright, whatever it is."

"No.  Lily, Nicole, everybody—" she stuttered.  "I—I can't do this anymore!  I am too young for all this drama!" she bellowed, almost to herself.

"You don't have to worry about them anymore.  They don't matter.  But you.  You are perfection.  Don't let anyone ever tell you different." He said, taking her face in his hands.  "Look at you, with your sadly hopeful tattered robes.  Your pouting little mouth, just in the position I love you in."

"I am hopelessly flawed, Lucius." She said.  "I bring wretchedness to happy people."

"Well, you are not wretched.  You are _wicked._ You are beautiful, treacherous, and a lot of work.  But you have so much potential.  So much, love." He whispered.

"That doesn't make sense." She cried.  "Lily and the others don't think so."

"Then those people don't know you." He said.  "But I do. _We_ do, and we love you.  Don't we chaps?" he said, glancing over his shoulder.

Diana gasped and then squeaked as she propped her self up, only to face an entire room full of Slytherins, and her peers.  She felt ashamed, and embarrassed.

"Don't hide your face.  Let them see you." He whispered, forcefully grabbing her shoulder.

"Oh dearie." Bellatrix said, walking over to her, with false concern.  She pulled a few of Diana's hairs away from her face.  "Don't be blue.  We'll take care of you."

"You can stay here, with us." Lucius said.  "Won't that be lovely? No one to hurt you, or judge you.  We accept you for who you are.  You are my girl, and I don't tolerate imperfection.  Now stop crying.  You are with me now, and everything is going to be fine."

"Everything will be fine." Bellatrix said, smiling, taking her other hand.  "My _pretty_."

"Everything will be fine." Diana said, awkwardly, trying to smile at the others, most of whom she didn't know.

"Oh, wonderful!" Bellatrix screeched.  "Now, let me introduce you." She pulled Diana over to a long couch in front of a bay window.  There were five girls there, all looking strikingly similar.  "This is Nessarose, Eris, Galinda, Hecate, and Adrasteia." She said.  "Mates from home.  Go to Durmstrang." She said.

"Hi.  Lovely." She said, as each of the girls smirked at her, as if studying her importance to Lucius.  

"They say you're half Mudblood, is that true?" Nessarose asked, in a whiny, Liverpool accent.  

"Honestly Nessa, will you shut your trap!" Galinda said, slapping her shoulder, over Eris.  "She has no manners, this one."  She attempted a smile, but it made her face look distorted and uncomfortable.  Looking mysterious was much more her forte.  

Diana turned to Bellatrix.  "May I speak with you?" she whispered, taking her arm.

"Why Ara—"

"Now." She said, and rushed her into what looked like a kitchen, a very large, vaulted ceiling kitchen.

"Well I never—" Bellatrix began, sounding quite offended.

"What are all these people doing here?" she asked, desperately.  "I am mortified." She stressed, and her voice echoed a bit.  There was a small house elf tittering about their feet, trying to sweep. She saw it out of the corner of her eye.

"They're visiting." Bellatrix said.  "They're my guests." She said, as if it were that common.  "And you haven't even met the men yet.  They are delicious—"

"You're engaged." Diana said.  

"Oh, silly, I know that." She barked.  "You know what you need, some wine." She said, grabbing a bottle off of the counter.  

"I don't want wine." She said, folding her arms.  

"Who said anything about _wanting_ it?" she said, grabbing two glasses out of a cabinet, bouncing as she did.  "Come," she said, as she handed Diana a full glass.  "Let us drink to….to…..your new found freedom." She said, triumphantly. 

"Freedom." Diana said, as she sighed.  "Wonderful."

"Well, I'm going back in there.  Join me soon? We must gossip about you first." Bellatrix said, waiving her wine glass daintily in the air as she walked.  It was not her first.

"Please do.  I need to make some sort of entrance that tops the first." Diana said.  She felt cold hands around her neck, and then they moved to her waist.  "Is this affection? Public affection?" she asked.

"Could be."

"Do you care for me?"

"Exceedingly."

"Am I making those bats out there incredibly jealous?" she said, putting her hands on his.

"Most definitely." He said.

"Good—" she said, but when she glanced down at his open sleeves, something else creped through.  She couldn't see it at first, but as she yanked it up more it became clearer.  He was busy kissing her neck.   "What is that?" she asked.  He jerked his hands off of her.  "No.  What is that? Let me see." She said, holding her hand out, as if it could be put in the palm of her hand.  

"No. Not yet, my love.  I promise, soon.  Later." He said, in one breath.  

"What—"

"Let's go back inside." He said, and led her out.  What was that, she thought? A snake, a dragon?

Hours loomed by, with a foggy, yet not unpleasant memory.  There was laughing, but not from her.  She was introduced to the four men that were there.  Rodolphus was one, and the others were Avaric, Frex, and Bernard.  All seemed to think, including Lucius, that they were the centre of attention.  All tried to be witty and sound intelligent, and they were, to a degree, Diana thought.  Bellatrix stood, or rather wobbled by her side, spilling drinks while the little elf (whose name, that night she understood to be Dobby) sweat and fretted and wiped up the mess.

Lucius was warm; Bellatrix was complimentary:  

_"I told you she was pretty, duckies, did I not?_

_"But her mother was a pureblood. Let's not forget._

_"Well at least you have high cheek bones too, dear.  You're not just all tits and ass." _To Bellatrix, this was a compliment.

She became as friendly as she could with half a bottle of wine in her system and a shot of vodka.  The lights kept dimming, if that were possible.  She was asked questions, but never remembered the answers.  People surrounded her, yet kept their distance.  She didn't understand.  She didn't know.  There was a head in a fireplace, and a circle of black cloaks.  Was she among them?  She spoke French to those who understood, and Latin to those who didn't.  At least that's how she heard the words.  There was a spell, she thought.  Maybe that's what the Latin was.  Was she listening or speaking?  Was she drunk, or drugged?

And then she remembered, clear as day, or more pertinently, as night.  There were twelve of them, at first, but now thirteen.  She had no idea of where the extra came from.  He was older. Was he? He was tall, and unusually, deathly pale.  His hands, long spiders that gripped her, hard, trying to force something out. Words, or was it something greater?  His eyes were black, but in the little light there was they looked odd, almost sinister, sardonic, and evil at the same time, but with an emerald touch that made them flicker in the dim firelight.  He was speaking (preaching?) to them, and by the looks on their faces he was revered by all of them.  

It must have been past midnight.  Something had happened, and she would never know what.  Something was done, although the exact events were a blur.  She thought she was in her right mind, with Lucius there by her side, holding her arm out.  She had pledged an allegiance to the man before her.  She didn't do it for herself.  She thought of Lily, and Nicole, and Sirius (oh, God, Sirius, she thought).  All of their faces, her own history, and her mother.  This would infuriate her, she remembered, as she laughed out loud to the rest of them.  No guilt, no sadness, no sickness, and no talk of sex or abortion because another feeling enveloped all of these.  

_Pain._ It was sharp, and scorching, like fire.  Lucius steadied her shoulders as it was done, biting her lustfully to centre the pain elsewhere.  He knew what such pain was.  She screamed and kneeled, with faces glaring all around her, pride and adoration in their eyes.  That is bravery, they thought.

"Let the darkness be instilled in you, child." She heard, although it sounded far away.  She couldn't tell who spoke this.  "You accept."

"With all my spirit," she said, not recognizing the tone of her own voice.  "My lord." After this, she went blank.

**VII.**

As they sat around the dinner table in silence, James and Lily wriggled in their seats, stealing passing glances at each other and smiling when they caught one another.  Angie noticed this and gave her husband a nod, which he acknowledged and returned.  Nicole and Remus, although next to each other, did or said nothing to acknowledge one another's presence.  This was mostly due to Nicole looking the other way every time Remus was even remotely looking her way.

Peter ate in silence, gobbling it up like a boar, and noticing nothing.  He was thinking of Katrina, his girlfriend, but was then saddened by the fact that she was not with them.  She was with her parents, in Bath.  Then an odd thought struck him.  Why was a girl like that with _him_?  He was pudgy and clumsy and never said the right thing, ever.  She was James' ex-girlfriend, which was a big thing to live up to.  He knew he never would, even though Katrina was way past that, and him.  Katrina was beautiful and clever, and she looked like a goddess, compared to him.  He was lucky, he thought.  But it made him question her fidelity.  She could have anyone, he thought.  Why me?

"Hey, Wormtail, how's Kat?" James inquired, most innocently.

Peter replied with a very frantic, "Why? What have you heard?"

The entire table laughed at this, even Sirius who, peculiarly, did not touch his meal.  "Whoa there. Easy mate." He said.

Lily poked James in the ribs.  "I was only asking." He said.

"Alright, children.  What do you all say we turn in early tonight?  Miss Portman, Lupin, Peter, you have all had a trying journey." Mr. Potter said.  "I, on the other hand, need to sleep. It is Saturday." He said, with a yawn.

"But, it is only nine o'clock." Mrs. Potter said, looking at her watch.  "Harold, it is your only day off." She complained, getting up after him.

"There is tomorrow, my dear." He said, stretching.  "Tomorrow belongs to us." He whispered in her ear. Then, he kissed her lightly on the cheek and headed to his bedroom.  She was left standing, head down.  She began clearing the dishes.

"I'm going to head up too." Nicole said, getting up and again, not looking at Remus.  "Lily, can I sleep in your room?"

"If her majesty isn't using it, then yes.  If not, you can have the floor." Lily jested.

"Fine." She said, not getting it.  She yawned too.  "I just need rest." Then, she disappeared up the stairs, out of everyone's sight.

"What's with her?" James whispered, when she was safely out of earshot.

"Don't know.  Maybe it's that time of the month." He said.

"Or lack, thereof." Sirius said, under his breath.  "I'm going for a walk."

"Another one?" Lily asked. 

"I like walking." Sirius answered, and disappeared into the night.

"Hey, Peter? Fancy a game of gobstones?" Remus asked.  

"Sure." Peter said.  They brought up their plates, gave them to Mrs. Potter, who was washing them, and went into the living room game cupboard to search for it.

"Whoa.  This party died fast." Lily said, still sitting.

"Yea.  Do you want to go upstairs? To do some homework I mean?" James asked, pushing his chair in.

"Is that some kind of code word?" she chuckled.

He laughed too.  "No, nothing like that."

"Well, alright then." She said, getting up from the table.  They gave their plates to James' mother and headed upstairs to James' bedroom.  Lily plopped herself on the couch while James sat at his desk.

"You know, what you said to me this morning really irked me." He blurted, after studying the ceiling intensely.

"Did it? It was a simple question? I was confused.  I like certain things clarified."  Lily said.

"Do you?"

"Yes. And you avoided my answer. But, that's alright." She sighed.  "I got one."

"And what was it?" he asked, reclining back on his chair.

"Chemistry." She said, with a yawn.

"Damn.  Did my mother tell you that one?" he said, chuckling.  "Unbelievable."

"She is a very knowledgeable woman." Lily said.

"She is." James said, thinking of his mother, fondly.  "Come here." He said to her.

"No." she replied.

"Why?"

"I will not be ordered.  You come here." She said.  

James got up from his chair and walked slowly, but slyly to Lily's spot on his couch.  _His_ couch.  She recognized his behaviour immediately, but ignored it.  He's just a man, she thought, so some things were excusable.  He kneeled down in front of her, and she took his head in her hands.  She then kissed the black hair she had grown tenderly accustomed to. 

He put his head on her lap, and began slightly rubbing her thigh.  She enjoyed this.  It made her feel warm, and if it were possible, safe.  They continued this for a few minutes, when he leaned up and kissed her, cupping her face in his hands.  He drew nearer to her, and his weight felt heavy on her, making her unable to move, if she had wanted to.

"James?" she said, pushing him slightly.  "Wait." 

He sat up, moved beside her and took her hand.  He nodded.  "That's not why I brought you up here."

"I know." She said, rubbing his hand.  They began to kiss, sweetly at first, then more passionately as they became comfortable.  When she moaned he was provoked, but restrained himself against his better judgement.

She continued to moan, and her lips became free for her to speak. "Oh, you're in my mind." She said, and he stopped to listen.  "You're the only thing in my mind when I wake up, and the last thing when I go to sleep.  You're in my dreams before I even close my eyes, and long after I open them.  I want you, James, I do.  I don't care if I've never known, I don't care if I've never experienced.  All I know, love or not, I need you right now." He kissed her neck and she said,  "I feel like I've always needed you."

His warm hands roamed, with her permission, and undid the buttons of her jeans.  She trembled, and shivered, even though it was April.  She fought back internally, at first, but when she couldn't hold it in, she unleashed the passion within her.  With a scream of pain and pleasure she gave her innocence, her soul, and her love to James Potter.  She would be forever bound to him, and he to her.  She gave him her gift, but with it came his own salvation.  The 180-degree turn was complete, and for the first time his heart was fully hers, and always would be.

They lied there until after midnight, when they were both spent and exhausted.  Before they drifted off to sleep, they each felt something had to be said, and having never said it before, spoke it in unison.

"I love you."

(Cheesy end. NOT THE END OF THE STORY! But it's the great first time we never had, or never will.  Thank you! Love you! Sorry again, and review!)


	22. Prologue of Part II

Disclaimer: I own only those I have previously stated. I am so so sorry, life took over. Please understand. I still love you. Now lets get on with it.

About two weeks later……(although it feels like 6 months doesn't it :)

_Love. What a wickedly pointless word. Love doesn't exist, just as hate doesn't exist. In fact, the two could be interchangeable depending on the speaker's intentions. It is just like the thin line between pleasure and pain. If I tore my skin or sliced my wrist with a knife, I could choose to enjoy it. It is that simple…_

Diana had many revelations when she chose not to eat in the massive, destructive Great Hall, which, according to her, was anything but great. It was so congested with people she preferred the company of her own thoughts and insane rationalizations to the prattle that usually accompanied the disparaging appetites of others. She could go days without eating, or going to class for that matter. Her skin was so white that when the moon cast its glare on her face as she studied her beauty in the mirror, she was blinded. Her green eye shadow was just a mask of the pain and confusion that accompanied the attitude of her eyes. And she used to be such a simple faced girl.

Lily had gone down to stuff her face and pour her affections and smiles over the boy whom she loved. Diana just looked at him as the wealthy waste of space that de-virginized her best friend and tore her further from her eyes. Diana pretended not to care, as she was so marvellous at. Such was her curse of being human.

She smoked her fourth cigarette as she refused to move from her private space next to the window. She had lit a candle to keep as little light in the room as possible, and she was shivering from the frosty winds. It was where she repeatedly recalled her memory of that night the vacation before, where her life changed, and not for the better. It would be two weeks the next day, Saturday, and she felt numb to its importance.

Voldomort. What an imposing name, she thought. Although, given the way it is spelled the "t" should be silent, making it more foreign, and therefore, European. He frightened her, but that was what made it so exciting. It was so different, so sinister, and he had so much unknown power already. She loved power. A man who had power could have anything; command anything, give and take whatever he pleased. And he did. Lucius had power, and if not over her than he would when he was a man. To her he was a man, and as he constantly reminded, the most perfect one she would ever get.

You will believe in me, and I will never be ignored, she thought, remembering Lucius for the millionth time that evening. Did she ever think of anything else? The mere question unnerved her. You will steal for me, kill for me, love and adore me, wait and die for me, to be part of me, and close to me. And I will for you. Anything you want, anything you say, darling, love, partner in crime and all things vile and unholy. This must be love, she thought. It is equal parts rapture and pain.

(Flashback)

She woke up with the most painful headache she ever had that morning, after her life no longer was hers. Her temples throbbed as the blurriness of her vision became clearer. The ceilings were a stained glass menagerie of black, green, and red, in various shapes and animals, dragons mostly. Fire breathing outwards melding into the Malfoy family crest, planted right above her head on the ceiling. She blinked a few times and then groaned herself awake.

He was on top of her, with his silvery blonde hair tickling her skin, uncomfortably, right below her chest. When she tried to move he grunted awake. She pushed him off of her. Falling out of the bed, she grabbed the bedpost, tugging her hair and catching her bearings. Then she realized her head was not the only part of her body that was sore. She felt an unpleasant throbbing sensation between her legs and in her rear end. She had no clothes on and her skin was whiter than usual, accept for her pinkish bruise, the mark of his love.

She heard him toss and turn in bed, thrashing the covers to sit up strait. It only made her head hurt more.

"Will you please desist?" she whispered, letting go of the bedpost, slowly.

"What?" he asked, yawning and not listening. He leaned against the headboard.

She shook her head and attempted the ten feet walk to the bathroom, connected to his bedroom. She wobbled as she walked, concentrating on each step. Then, when she was just a few feet away her stomach began to rumble, and she had the worst aching feeling. It was a mixture of pain and nausea. She ran then and just made the toilet as she threw up all she had consumed the night before.

"What time is it?" he asked, after she had finished, with her head slumped over the bowl.

She tried, with effort to pick her head up. "I don't know," she said, in an aggravated, raspy voice. She slammed the door with her foot.

She laid there for a minute, counting to ten before propping herself up on the sink. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She actually laughed at how terrible she looked, putting her hand over the bruise on her chest, by her heart. She put her hand then on her pale, but beautiful face. She looked into her dark eyes and did not recognize herself. Their once vivacious fire was reduced to nothingness, as they were empty and colourless. Perfect, indeed, she thought. She touched her reflection with her left hand, as if waiving goodbye to it, when she noticed the dark symbols that replaced her pure skin.

She shot back out of shock and shut her eyes. Then she let out a whimper before reopening them, to see what she knew she saw. A snake, stealthily wrapping around a skull, as if emerging from it. It was red on the outskirts of it, as it was newly burned. Her breathing became short as she took in sensibly what this meant. She felt afraid, and guilty. Then she remembered her little friends back at Potter's mansion. They weren't thinking of her at all, she thought, and was partly right. Then she thought of Lucius and Bellatrix, and the blur that was the night before.

She emerged from the bathroom with her headache gone, and with the energy that only a drug like anticipation could give her. She immediately spotted her undergarments on the floor and went lazily towards them to pick them up and put them on. He was already dressed, buttoning his perfectly pressed shirt, but leaving it untucked.

Clasping her bra, she studied him, head to toe. She watched his hands and how he dressed. She had never seen him do that before. He was always gone by morning, or she was. Her black panties were a crumpled mess at the foot of the bed, and she had to crouch to retrieve them.

"Did we have sex last night?" she asked, rather presumptuously, as she grabbed them.

He laughed at her, looking at himself in his full length mirror, turning to study all angles. "I'm offended, my belle," he said, straitening his posture and cuffing his sleeves.

She put her underwear up around her hips, and laughed too, but only at his obvious love for himself.

"I can tell only by the disarray of my clothing. Other than that—" she said, looking at the sheets and remembering the pain between her legs.

He turned away from the mirror to address her directly. "You mean, you really don't remember? Well, I was fantastic, if I do say so myself."

She walked up to him, slinking slightly, like a serpent, and embraced him from behind. Then she slid her hand lower and felt him. "And what about me?" she said, whispering into his ear.

"You, love, are my muse." He said, turning to her. He kissed her twice, on the cheek and then the lips. "And those little noises you make, or shall I say loud ones. You drive me mad."

"Good," she said. She paused, and kissed him too, thinking about what she was about to say. "You love me right? I mean, really love me. This isn't just about you, is it? You love me. You have to now," she said, taking his left arm and rubbing his identical tattoo. "I want no pain with you. Promise me. Seriously."

He just smiled, and kissed her forehead, looking not in her eyes but the nape of her neck. "Get dressed," he said, breaking free of her. Then he took her left arm and brought it to his mouth, kissing it. "You will not have pain so long as you stay with me. I am inside you, and will be until you die. I am in your blood, and your soul. I am the voice in your head. But I will tell you this. So long as you are a part of this, you are a part of me, and you are bound to this forever."

And in that matter, the conversation was over. The issue was decided.

(End of Flashback)

"Di?" she heard, and simply turned her head towards the door. In truth she was scared to death, but did not show it. Her memory was unwelcome but she was annoyed at being interrupted nonetheless.

Diana cleared her throat before speaking. "Why aren't you downstairs with the others, Nicole?"

"I'm worried about you," she said meekly, entering the room. Diana leaned up and put her hand up to stop her.

"I did not say you could come in here," she said, in a deeper, raspier voice.

"Can you please hear me out? I come on behalf of all of us."

"Behalf? Meaning who?" Diana chuckled. Then she glared at Nicole from head to toe. "Oh, Nic, I think it's time you start wearing baggier clothes. You're plumping out, my dear."

Nicole quickly put her hand over her stomach out of shame, but continued. "This isn't fair. We did nothing to you."

"Save the sob story for Dumbledore when he asks you why you're a cow in a few months. I stopped listening."

"Can I please come in?" Nicole said, whispering loudly. "You're not exactly a low talker."

"If you must. As long as you don't cry or make me feel guilty about believing in abortion," Diana said.

"Be quiet!" she said, and dragged herself in Diana and Lily's dorm.

"Alright," Diana said. "Put in your two pence and then get out."

Nicole inched close to her friend of many years and crouched on the floor, as if in prayer. "You've changed. Ever—ever since that day, a couple of weeks ago. Diana, honey, please talk to me. Tell me what's happened to you," she begged. She tried taking Diana's left hand but she jerked it back, pulling her sleeves down.

"There's nothing to tell. You all stopped caring………..so did I." She said this with iciness behind her voice. It was higher pitched and devoid of feeling.

"You are frightful."

"I am honest."

"So, what? Are you just now going to formally convert yourself to the Slytherins? Are you going to abandon the only people who care about you?" Nicole said, hoping none of it was true.

"You want advice don't you?" Diana said, shaking her head. "You still have no idea what the bloody fuck to do and I'm the only one who knows. Isn't that right?"

"Pardon—"

"That's it, isn't it? I didn't judge you. I won't call you names, but you're still pregnant and Remus is still the father, and it still will be the scandal of the year if something isn't done. Well you know what, my _pretty_, I can't do shit about it, and neither can you, so either suck it up and accept the fact that you will be called a whore, or be a murderess and contain your self respect. Either way, get the fuck out of my room, you snivelling little fool!"

Nicole got up with some effort and stood strait. "That is a wicked thing to say!" she said, incredibly hurt.

"What the fuck do I care? Don't cry at my funeral then," she said, as Nicole scurried out to bury her tears elsewhere. "That's a wicked thing to say," Diana mimicked to herself, in a whiny voice. "Little brat…"

"I see the ice queen of isolation is awake," Diana heard, and groaned aloud. Sirius stood there, in all of his handsome glory, peering at her, judging her, with his strong arms crossed and his black hair scruffily hanging around his face. "Tell me, if you choose your seclusion, why do you insist on leaving your door open?"

"I didn't plan on staying up here, Black," she said. "I forgot something and was too lazy to leave again."

"What'd you forget?" Sirius asked, and noticed her candle had blown out from the wind.

"Forget it," she said, and tossed out her cigarette, only to light another one. "Well, since you're here, got a light? You may be useful to me yet."

"You're shivering," he said, walking into the room. Neither of them had forgotten the night they last spoke, but this was not the right time or place for such juvenile nonsense.

"It's nothing," she said, in a kinder voice. "I think they turned off the heat."

"It's April," he said, pulling over an ottoman to be closer to her.

"Oh yes," she said. "I'm a little weak on my feet today. I haven't been outside," she coughed. "Would you light my candle? It's out." she asked, and noticed him looking at her oddly. "What are you staring at?" she said, rudely.

"Nothing. Your hair in the moonlight. You just look familiar to me," he said, lighting her cigarette. Diana began to feel fatigued. She was not sure if it was he or the scarce amount of food she had consumed that day. He noticed her teeter and sway a little, and then regain her balance. "Can you make it?" he chuckled.

She glared. "I just haven't eaten much today," she said, putting her hand on her chest. She smiled. "At least the room stopped spinning anyway…what?" she said, when his eyes had not moved.

"Forget it. Your smile reminded me—"

"I tend to remind people often. Who?" she asked, pulling her hair back in a knot. "Is it a she?"

"No one, a girl I used to know," he said brushing her off. "She died."

"It's out again," Diana said, looking at her candle. "Sorry about your friend," she said, with half as much energy. She sighed. "Light it again,"

He took out his matches again and stroked it against the package, making it ignite instantly. She shivered again. "Well," he said, as the flame took to the wick.

"Yeah," she said, touching the candle, and then felt the wax touch her fingers. "Ow!" she said, and shot her hand back.

"The wax," he said, taking out a tissue. "It's—"

"Dripping," she said. "I like it between my—"

"Fingers, I figured," he said, laughing. "You would."

"No," she said, smiling. "Thighs," she said, but started laughing when her serious face was no longer believable.

"Oh well," he said. "Maybe I should go."

"Don't!" she said, more urgently then she meant to. "I mean, um, can you help me look for something?" Why do I want him to stay, she thought?

"What?"

"Uh, um, " she said, trying to remember why she wanted him to stick around so badly. "I dropped something, over there, when I came in. Look for it."

"Came in? From where?" he asked, not convinced at all.

She got up and tried to look for the thing she never dropped, and crouched down on the floor. It was then she noticed him stare at her again, and she got up instantly.

"You know, they say that I have the best ass in our whole year," she said, turning towards him. "Is it true?"

"What—"

"You were staring again. And since you got the view first hand, I wanted to know your thoughts."

"Uh, well, I mean you do, have a nice—I mean—"

"Forget it, Black," she said, sitting back down. She almost felt childish, and too feminine for her own skin.

"Your candle's out," he said, nodding towards her door. "And I ran out of matches."

"Our eyes will adjust," she said, grabbing a blanket from her bed. "Thank God for the moon," she said, looking outside.

"Maybe it's not the moon at all. I hear the Astronomy fourth years are doing a project on lunar duplication spells, as if that will be any use to them at all."

"Aw, what a shame," she said, sitting down again. "It was almost too beautiful to be genuine."

"That's how I feel about you sometimes," he said. "I don't know who you are anymore."

"Don't you?"

"No. Well, maybe I never did," he said shrugging.

"Black, I will tell you one thing. Out of all the annoying little cockroaches here, you are the one who makes me laugh the most. Did you know that?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. And about who I am……all bullshit aside….all you need know is that I am the girl who killed herself for love. You can't be sad about losing someone who was never there…..And I'm sorry, for us. We could have really had something. I did not mean to lead you on like I did. But I would like it if we remained friends. I do, sort of, consider you my counterpart. You compliment me very well, even sexually I feel," she said, crossing her legs.

"I'm not sure I know what that means. We've never-"

"No, dear. We've never. Had the circumstances been reversed I think….well, you are very handsome. And you know that," she said with a smirk. Then she reclined. "Maybe, one day. After I'm….tired…..yes, tired of all this."

"Hmm, I see. Goodnight Renton," he said, just as coldly.

"Wait. Black don't leave," she whined.

"I'm not going to sit here and wait for you to get 'tired.'"

"Don't leave me. Who am I going to talk to?"

"Why don't you try your precious boyfriend? Or is he not the conversational type? I don't deserve this," he said, getting up and waving her away.

"I didn't mean it like that," she said. She got up after him. "I just…..can't."

"Why? You're not married, or are you?" he said, half joking.

"Heavens no," she said, as he opened the door. "I wish I could tell you."

"Tell me what?" he said, banging the edge of the doorframe with his palm.

"I'm sorry." She sounded sincere enough, and she did mean it, in her own way.

"So am I," he said, and walked out, making sure to slam the door behind him.

"Fuck," she whispered, as she was, once again, left alone.

(Flashback II)

James was all the way on the other side of the bed when Lily opened her eyes. She was in his room, at least that was what it looked like. The covers were up to her waist only, and when she realized she was exposed, she pulled them up to her chin.

She woke up quickly and jumped out of the bed, taking the sheets with her. He still did not move. She scurried over to the couch and plopped on it with a jittery sort of energy. She remembered last night well, and it was blissful, amazing, everything she dreamt of. It was everything she thought would never happen. But it did happen.

Could it be she felt afraid? What if she were not good? Would he be upset with her? She did not know what to think. She had never been in this sort of situation before. He said he loved her. Did she catch that? Did I say it too, she wondered? Indeed, she had.

What if he didn't mean it, she feared? What if it was just the common thing he said after shagging? She didn't want to think about that. But, he was so kind, so loving, it seemed. It felt like he meant it. She definitely meant it.

I am to young to be in love, she thought. Oh, but how marvellous he felt next to her! How utterly gentle and considerate in his love to her. Uh, she was speechless. Not that she had been talking before, she thought. It was sweet, she thought. Incredibly cheesy, but every word was true. How many young women can say that about their boyfriends?

(End of flashback)

"So is she not coming down then?" Lily asked, as Nicole silently plopped next to her, rather far away from Remus.

"Would it be a terrible thing?" she muttered.

"Ah," Lily said, and took a bite of her food.

"Hey, has anyone seen Kat?" James asked, looking about the Great Hall. "Peter?"

"Haven't seen 'er," he said, looking at his plate.

Just then Lily looked to the Hufflepuff table and saw Kat acting a tad flirtatious with Amos Diggory. Even more scandalous than that was the fact that her hand had somehow found its way to his nether regions. Lily gasped aloud, but then pretended she was choking on a piece of food. She cleared her throat, smiled, and continued to eat in her usual manner.

She nudged James slightly in the ribs and cocked her head in an ever so secretive manner. He saw, widened his eyes, and looked at Peter. "So mate, um, are you and Kat doing alright?"

Peter looked at him with confusion. "Why? Do you know anything?"

"What? How would you conceive that?" James said, acting badly and annunciating too much.

"He's just making conversation. Aren't you?" she said, pinching his leg.

"Sure. Sure. Just talking mate. Just talking….."

"She," Peter started, and began shaking his head. "She….."

"What is it?" Remus chimed in, with a mouth full of food.

"Nothing," Peter said.

"No, honey, you can tell us. We're your friends," Nicole said, with a smile too pretty to be fake.

Peter sighed. "She doesn't want to…..um……be with me." Thinking about this quite deeply, an uncomfortable silence followed the vague statement.

"Meaning?" James said, taking a sip of his drink.

"I don't know," Peter whimpered. "She just said that even though I'm nice, she could not imagine herself, well, _with_ me."

"You mean, fucking?" James said, with only a hint of sympathy.

"James!" Lily and Nicole said simultaneously. Lily then pinched James for a second time.

"Ow! Will you stop that?" he whined.

"Oh Peter," Nicole said, sympathetically. "I'm sorry, dear."

"I don't understand. I thought she liked me."

"She does, dear. Maybe, you two just aren't right for each other now. Who knows, in the future she may see the loving, adorable little butterball you are," Lily said.

"But….I love her," Peter said, and at that point, started crying.

Nicole put her hand on her heart out of pity, while James tried his best to hold in his laughter. Remus glared at him and put a hand on Peter's shoulder.

"It's alright, mate. She was a tart anyway," Remus said.

"She was not," Nicole said, and narrowed her eyes. "She was just, not ready."

James snorted.

"Well, have you two ever felt that? I mean, has a girl ever been, not ready with you two?" Nicole said. Peter looked up hopefully at James, who stared at the ground.

"Uh…..no mate, sorry," he said. "But I'm sure loads of girls are like that."

"Maybe you're right. At least there isn't anybody else. If there was, I'd kill 'em," he said, and clenched his chubby fists.

"Um, Peter, don't you think that's a little rash?" Lily said.

"She's just a chick mate," James said. "They're never worth it." Then he looked at Lily, who had a suspicious glare in her eyes.

"Which infers?" she said, crossing her arms.

"Well, except you, babe," he said, and touched her shoulder.

Sirius then returned to the table, and shoved Peter out of the way, his melancholic state of no importance.

"You stink of cigarettes," Lily mumbled, and glared at him. "You know we're not supposed to smoke in school."

"What are you, the new headmistress?" he growled.

"Oh, touchy, touchy. Did her majesty not welcome you with open arms?" she said, clenching her teeth on her fork, creating a shrill, squeaking sound.

"Or open legs?" James muttered.

"You know, she _is_ in a relationship, Sirius," Nicole said. "Not everything is about you," she snarled. "And furthermore, you should all be out of everyone's business. Catty, catty, catty, that's all we are. I think you should stop pining over the impossible," she said, pointing her fork at Sirius, "you should stop being so insensitive," she said to James, "and you Peter, lighten up! She doesn't love you. Deal with it, for fuck's sake. People have worse problems."

"Babe, are you alright?" Remus said.

"Perfect," she replied, sarcastically.

"Someone's got PMS," Lily chuckled.

"I wish," Nicole whispered, whereupon Lily looked at her twice, and with the utmost seriousness that made her shiver inside.

Diana jumped when she heard an unnerving noise outside of her bedroom window. She got up off her bed and went to it cautiously. She heard a tapping and realized, with relief, that it was a tiny pebble.

She smiled and opened it, only to find Lucius and Bellatrix at the bottom. She waved unsurely, and stuck her head out so that her stomach only supported her.

"Baby doll!" Lucius yelled, and waved.

"What…what are you doing here?" Diana laughed.

"Come down, little girl," Bellatrix screeched. "We've got places to go."

"Where?"

"Just come down darling. You can wear this," Lucius said, holding up black robes.

Diana noticed they were dressed in the very same robes, with hoods, and had their wands in their hands. "I don't know. Lily will be coming up soon," she said.

"Oh, who cares?" Bellatrix said. "Would you rather be stuck in your room studying useless drivel with boring little brats, or out having fun with us?"

Diana hesitated. "Where are we going?"

"Come down and we'll show you," Lucius said.

"How will I get down?" she said.

"Cushioning spell, dearie," Bellatrix said. "We're going to be late if we don't leave now."

"Late?"

"Come, my love. We have a meeting. A very important meeting," Lucius said.

"Meeting?" she said, and suddenly grew nervous.

"Just think of it as your formal initiation," Bellatrix said, smiling. The Dark Lord would like to meet you, without any hallucinogens in your system," Bellatrix said, laughing like a hyena.

"Hurry, darling. He does not like to be kept waiting."

And with a glance behind her and a leg over the sill, she fell to her fate, the chapter of her madness up to now, was only the prologue.

(Sorry if I bored you, but I needed transition. technically this is part 2 of part 1. complex, isnt it? Next chapter: what will Nicole do about her pregnancy? What will Kat say to Peter to change him? How will the girls discover the Animagas transformations? Just how crazy can Diana get?)

I promise…in a week, one week you will have it. Thank you for your loyalty. I really do appreciate every single one of you.


End file.
